What is your question?

• Where are the birds (and how abundant are they) this winter? Map Type 1.
• Where were the birds (and how abundant were they) in a previous winter? Map Type 2.
• Did a bird species shift its range during the course of a previous winter? Map Type 3.
• How did bird populations in a particular month (the month of December, for example) change over the course of the FeederWatch project? Map Type 4.
• How has the winter distribution and abundance of a species changed over the course of the FeederWatch project? Map Type 5.

An overview of map types:

Map Type 1. Current winter, animated biweekly:
Question: Where are the birds this winter?

These maps show how the distribution and abundance of bird populations have changed during the current (or most recent)  FeederWatch season. These maps are updated after each two-week count period from November through April. Remember that these maps only show data from online FeederWatchers who have already entered their data. To view this type of map, select a bird species and a geographic region, select "the current season" button, and click "Go!".

Map Type 2. A previous winter (year-end summary):
Question: Where were the birds in a previous winter?

This type of map shows the distribution and abundance of one species of feeder bird for a specific winter. The data collected throughout the season were averaged over time to show a static map representing single, year-end summary for each species. To view this type of map, select a bird species, a geographic region, the winter of interest from the drop-down menu, and "year-end summary". Then click "Go!".

Map Type 3. A previous winter (animated month-by-month):
Question: Did a bird species shift its range during the course of a previous winter?

These maps show month-to-month changes in bird populations within a single winter. The FeederWatch data for each species were averaged for each month. The map shows an animated series of these monthly averages within a single winter. To view this type of map, select a bird species, a geographic region, the winter of interest from the drop-down menu, and "animated month-by-month". Then click "Go!".

Map Type 4. A particular month, animated year-by-year:
Question: How did bird populations in a particular month (the month of December, for example) change over the course of the FeederWatch project?

These maps show a series of summaries for a particular month (e.g., a summary for every December) animated across several FeederWatch winters. Sometimes you might choose a particular month because of something you know about a species, such as what month a species is usually at its greatest abundance in your region. For example, you can see whether Red-winged Blackbirds (one of the earliest returning species in spring) moves northward the same distance each March. Or, you might want to examine mid-winter (January or February) maps in order to look at how far south Common Redpolls irrupted in previous years. To view this type of map, select a bird species, a geographic region, the month of interest from the drop-down menu, and click "Go!".

Map Type 5. All winters (animated year-end summaries):
Question: How has the winter distribution and abundance of a species changed over the course of the FeederWatch project?

FeederWatch is a long-term monitoring program, and these maps show how bird populations have changed over several years. What you see in these maps is a series of year-end summaries animated over time. These maps are good for showing the distributions and relative abundance of species over many years. To view this type of map, select a bird species, a geographic region, "all seasons", and click "Go!".