Media contact in U.S.: David Bonter, (607) 254-2457, email
Media contact in Canada: Kerrie Wilcox, (519) 586-3531, email

Photos available to the media to accompany this press release (click photo for high resolution version):

Tufted Titmouse by Anne Middleton	Red-bellied Woodpecker by Linda Williams	Carolina Wren by Errol Taskin	Northern Cardinal by Errol Taskin

Bird Watchers Look for Changes Linked to Climate
If you feed birds, scientists need your help 

Ithaca, NY, September, 2007—If you've ever watched birds at a feeder, you've seen change—varying numbers of different birds through the seasons and the years. Do some of the long-term shifts reflect changes in the environment, including global climate change? The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project FeederWatch is seeking help from bird watchers to help answer that question.
        FeederWatchers count the birds at their feeders each week and send the information to the Lab of Ornithology. They've helped document unusual bird sightings, winter movements, and shifting ranges of some bird species over the past 20 years. To see the effects of global climate change, scientists say they need new and veteran participants alike to keep counting birds now and well into the future.
        “Being a FeederWatcher is easy and fun, and at the same time it helps generate the world’s largest database on feeder-bird populations,” says project leader David Bonter. “Since we started in 1987, nearly 40,000 people have submitted observations, adding up to well over 1.5 million checklists.”
        Some of the most dramatic changes revealed by data collected during two decades of Project FeederWatch may be related to changes in climate.  “We’re seeing hummingbirds turning up much farther north than usual during the winter,” says Bonter. “Warblers and other insect-eaters are also lingering longer into the northern winter, possibly because of warmer temperatures. Bird count data gathered in the coming years will really help us focus on these trends and what might be causing them.”
        Recent mild winter conditions may be contributing to the northward range movements of several nonmigratory species. The Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, and Tufted Titmouse have all expanded their ranges several hundred miles to the north in recent decades. Some migratory hawks are also remaining farther north in winter. Reports of Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks have increased across the northern tier of the continent in recent years.
        Project FeederWatch data also show drastic declines in Evening Grosbeaks across the continent. While grosbeak populations are declining, other species are booming. FeederWatchers in the southeastern United States reported record high numbers of Yellow-rumped and Pine warblers. Reports of woodpeckers of all kinds are increasing across the northeastern quadrant of the continent. Northern Flickers and Anna’s Hummingbirds are climbing up the list of the top 25 most-reported birds in the Pacific Northwest. Twenty years ago they didn’t make the list at all.
        The 21st season of Project FeederWatch gets underway November 10 and runs through April 4. All ages and skill levels are welcome. To learn more about Project FeederWatch or to register, visit www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw or call the Lab toll-free at (800) 843-2473. In return for the $15 fee ($12 for Lab members) participants receive the FeederWatcher’s Handbook, an identification poster of the most common feeder birds in their area, a calendar, complete instructions, and the FeederWatch annual report, Winter Bird Highlights.

Note: Local participants for stories are available upon request. Contact David Bonter at   (607) 254-2457 or email.

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds.