Started in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project. People in more than 2000 locations throughout the Western Hemisphere participate in the CBC each year.
The information collected by thousands of CBC volunteer participants forms one of the world’s largest sets of wildlife survey data. The results are used by conservation biologists, environmental planners, and naturalists to assess the population trends and distribution of birds.
The CBC in each Count Circle is planned on a day between December 14 and January 5. Effort for each circle is organized by a Compiler, who is a fellow volunteer (or team of volunteers) at the local level, often supported by a birding club or naturalist organization.
Project FeederWatch is a joint research and education project of Birds Canada and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that depends on volunteers to help us all learn more about bird populations.
Everyone is welcome. You don’t need to be an expert birder and the time commitment can be minimal – you decide how much time you spend.
Your observations of birds out your window can really help the conservation of Canada’s birds. You don’t have to have a feeder. The plants, water and other features around our homes provide important habitats for birds year-round. To help birds, we need to understand how these habitats and the birds using them are changing over time. Your counts of winter yard birds tell us which species are doing well and which ones need our conservation attention.
Sign up for the season which runs through April 30.
Make a donation to get started then, you will have access to the Project FeederWatch data entry page and all of the important information needed to turn your bird watching hobby into scientific discoveries.
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