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):

Pine Siskin by Errol Taskin	Black-capped Chickadee by Anne Middleton	Evening Grosbeak by Tammie Haché

Bird Watchers in Northwest Note Changes
Participants aid scientists by counting feeder birds

Ithaca, NY—Bird watchers across the northwestern United States can help chart the impact of global climate change and other factors on feeder birds—and have fun at the same time. Participants in Project FeederWatch, a citizen-science project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, have already documented changes in the distribution and numbers of feeder birds over the 20-year history of the project. Anyone can contribute observations during the winter months.

“Predicted increases in winter temperatures will certainly lead to changes in the distribution of birds. Monitoring birds over time is the only way to understand the impact of climate change, habitat alteration, and other factors influencing bird populations,” said ornithologist and project leader David Bonter.

FeederWatchers help to document changes in the abundance and distribution of birds by simply watching and counting the birds at their own feeders. Each season brings new information about bird populations. For instance, data from volunteer FeederWatchers in the Northwest have revealed increased sightings of Anna’s Hummingbirds along the Pacific Coast and more Northern Flickers throughout the region. Less severe winter weather and an increase in backyard feeders may be helping the hummingbird survive at the northern limits of its winter range.

On the down side, some finches are being reported by fewer participants in the region each year. The Evening Grosbeak, formerly one of the Top 5 species most often reported by FeederWatchers in the region, is experiencing a drastic, mysterious decline. This large finch was #41 on the list of most common feeder birds last winter, with only 13 percent of the 536 FeederWatchers in the region seeing the species. Evening Grosbeak numbers are declining across the continent, with no clear reason for the changes.

What will the coming winter bring to our bird feeders? You can help document changes in bird populations. The 21st season of Project FeederWatch gets underway in November and runs through early April 2008. Anyone in the United States and Canada can participate, and people of 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) new participants receive the FeederWatcher’s Handbook, an identification poster of the most common feeder birds, a calendar, complete instructions, and the publication Winter Bird Highlights, featuring project results.

“FeederWatchers across the northwestern U.S. have helped create the world’s largest database of feeder-bird populations,” says David Bonter. “To understand the effects of global climate change and other factors on birds, we need new and veteran participants let us know what they are seeing in their own yards and neighborhoods.”

Note: The Northwest region for Project FeederWatch includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Top 10 species reported by FeederWatchers in the Northwest region in 2007:

• Dark-eyed Junco
• House Finch
• Northern Flicker
• Black-capped Chickadee
• American Robin
• Song Sparrow
• Spotted Towhee
• European Starling
• Downy Woodpecker
• Steller’s Jay

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

Join Now!!

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.