Also try to photograph or videotape the bird in action, and confirm your sighting with another knowledgeable birder. Your careful documentation of this bird will ensure that your report becomes part of the scientific record.
Instructions for reporting your bird to FeederWatch are located in the Instruction Booklet and inside of Data Entry. You also may wish to report your sighting to a local bird club, nature center, or state or provincial wildlife agency (your state or province may have an avian records committee).
Confirmed rare bird reports are posted in the Exploring Data section of the web site and discussed in our reports. Read feature stories about some of the rare birds reported by FeederWatchers in the News section.
 What is an Irruption?
Some birds usually spend their winters in remote areas of the north such as the boreal forests of Canada. Some years, when these forests produce a smaller seed crop, the birds will move in search of adequate food resources. These movements are called irruptions. Some birds fly far from the boreal forests to locations such as California (Pine Siskin), the Southwest (Evening Grosbeak), or mid-Atlantic states (Common Redpoll). Other irruptive species include Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Grosbeak, Hoary Redpoll, Red-winged Crossbill, and White-winged Crossbill. Wherever they go, these birds usually are seen raiding feeders in flocks. So, a FeederWatcher might see hundreds of irruptive finches at his or her feeder one year but almost none the next. Fortunately, there is no need to worry. The absence of these birds at your feeder usually means they are finding natural foods elsewhere.
The vast network of FeederWatchers makes it possible to track the widespread population movements of irruptive species. To view a stunning example of an every-other-year irruption of a species, visit the Common Redpoll maps in the Map Room of the Exploring Data section of the web site. |
