Citizen Science for the Birds
The National Audubon Society has sponsored an annual winter bird count for over 100 years. This year’s Christmas Bird Count will include 60,000 volunteers from all over the country who will look for and record birds for two weeks.
This is perhaps one of the oldest forms of citizen science. It allows people who care about birds and nature to pitch in and help scientists gather immense amounts of data that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to collect.
Jim Shallow at Audubon Vermont says, “The great thing about citizen science is that you add a lot more data points to your data and you have a lot more eyes out on the landscape.”
This information has helped scientists study the effects of climate change.
Shallow says that in New England, in particular, things have warmed up over the last 40 years. And that shows up as birds adapt by moving their ranges northward.
Noting that and other avian trends would not be possible without citizen scientists who are helping the Audubon Society count birds. You can participate in this time-honored Holiday tradition by visiting the society Christmas Bird Count get involved page.
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