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WINTER 2002/VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1
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CITIZEN-SCIENCE UPDATES PROJECT FEEDERWATCH Project FeederWatch's 15th season is under way. Early reports
show signs of a finch irruption in the East. In early November,
FeederWatchers were already reporting White-winged Crossbills
in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Maine; Pine Grosbeaks in
Maine and Vermont; Evening Grosbeaks in Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
and New York; and Common Redpolls in New York. For current reports,
check the bird abundance maps on our web site, which show these
invasions. Speaking of the web site, we're introducing exciting
new data retrieval features this year. You may now view a winter
bird summary for any state dating back to the 1994-95 FeederWatch
season (including this year as reports come in). In addition,
FeederWatch participants can view their historical records submitted
to FeederWatch in previous years. Use these new features to see
how this year's winter finch invasion compares with ones in the
past.
- Laura Kammermeier, Project Leader
HOUSE FINCH DISEASE SURVEY
We thank everyone who has signed up for the House Finch Disease
Survey. We greatly appreciate your participation. Over the last six years, participants have consistently observed
greater numbers of diseased House Finches in late winter (February-March).
We are working hard to understand why this occurs. Watch for infected
birds this winter, and be sure to keep your feeders clean. Even
if you're not seeing diseased birds, your help is still essential,
because we need to know both where the disease occurs and where
it is absent. - Véronique Connolly, Coordinator
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLE ATLAS PROJECT
So far, participants and field assistants have completed 168 Delorme
quads in 14 states for the Hybrid Index portion of the project.
Next season we are looking for more people to complete surveys,
especially in states and provinces with relatively large golden-wing
populations: Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, West Virginia, Pennsylvania,
New York, Ontario, Manitoba, and Quebec. We offer materials for volunteers and paid positions for field
assistants in some areas. Please help with our important conservation
endeavor. For more information, call (607) 254-2465, visit our
web site, or send e-mail to <forest_birds@cornell.edu>.
If you are not sure where to search for golden-wings, we can put
you in touch with a state coordinator to assist you.
- Sara Barker, Project Leader
CLASSROOM FEEDERWATCH
The Classroom FeederWatch season is well under way, and many of you have entered bird counts on our web site. If you're having trouble entering data, make sure you are going to <www.birds.cornell.edu/cfw/home.html>. Click on "Enter your Bird Count Data" and follow the instructions. If you have difficulties, please contact email Claudia Zan or (607) 254-2403. Look for the latest student research papers, essays, poetry, and artwork in our Classroom Birdscope Webzine. - Claudia Zan, Project Assistant
Classroom
FeederWatch URBAN BIRD STUDIES
The National Science Foundation recently awarded the Lab a $1 million grant for "Birds in the 'Hood/Aves del Barrio." This grant will be used for the next three years to help establish the new Urban Bird Studies initiative by funding development of scientific and education protocols for citizen scientists to study birds in urban areas. The new projects will be Internet-based and bilingual (English and Spanish), and they will be pilot-tested in cities across the country. Which urban bird do you want to study? Let us know. We have received PigeonWatch data from many new locations, including
Guatemala. Check out the changes on the PigeonWatch web site,
where we will map all of your pigeon flock locations. If you're
not on the map, please send us your data. And remember, you can
send us data from anywhere, even if you're only visiting.
- Mindy LaBranche, Project Leader
Urban
Bird Studies web site THE BIRDHOUSE NETWORK
Please see our Annual Report on pages 4-6. Electronic read-only newsletter - to join, send an e-mail message to <listproc@cornell.edu>. Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message type "subscribe TBNnews-L yourname." For permission to reprint all or
part of this article, please contact Miyoko Chu, Editor, Cornell
Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, New York. Phone
(607) 254-2451. Email mcc37@cornell.edu
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