Compared to last year, white-breasted nuthatches likely will show up at fewer bird feeders this winter. But, compared to 30 years ago, the energetic little birds will be spotted at many more feeders.
Researchers determined an up-down, year-to-year pattern in the number of nuthatches moving south for the winter and visiting feeders by combing through data collected through Project FeederWatch, a citizen-science project based on birders counting birds at their feeders and reporting their observations to a central database.
They also noted that despite the year-to-year shifts the percentage of feeders in the northeastern U.S. reporting nuthatches has climbed steadily over the same 30 years, from about 70% in 1989 to 87% last winter.
The 35th year of data collection for Project FeederWatch launched Saturday.
Many people have turned to Project FeederWatch as an antidote to troubling times and long winter months.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, participation in this citizen-science project surged 33% during the last season and, despite the name, it’s not even necessary to have a feeder.
FeederWatch data are used to detect shifts in the numbers and distributions of winter birds in the U.S. and Canada. At the same time, participants gain new insight into bird activity in their own yard.
“The observations we get about feeder birds have been our bread and butter for decades. We want that flow of information to keep coming because we’ve learned so much,” says FeederWatch leader Emma Greig at the lab.
“But we’re opening up new possibilities for understanding winter bird movements by adding data from areas without feeders. If you’ve taken any action to attract birds — installed a water feature or put in special native plantings — you can be a FeederWatcher, too.”
FeederWatch participants make periodic 2-day counts from November through April and can spend as much or as little time as they like collecting data. Even counting birds once or twice all winter has value.
“Feeding birds is a hugely popular pastime in North America, yet we don’t fully understand the impact of all the supplementary food that we provide,” said Greig. “By participating in FeederWatch without a feeder, people can help us create a dataset that will help us better understand the impact of bird feeding. It is extremely important work and FeederWatch is perfectly poised to do it.”
Project FeederWatch is a joint research and education project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.
To join the tens of thousands of FeederWatch participants, sign up online at FeederWatch.org. The participation fee is $18 ($15 for Cornell Lab members).
