| What time of year can I participate in Urban Bird Studies
projects?
How do I sign up?
Are Urban Bird Studies projects for kids only?
I don't live in a city--can I participate in Urban Bird
Studies?
Should I join a group or lead a group in order to participate?
Do I need a computer to participate?
Is there any cost involved in participating?
How do I submit my data?
When should I submit my data?
What if I don't know how to identify birds?
I am an experienced birder. Is Urban Bird Studies
for me?
Can I participate in Urban Bird Studies if I don't have
a lot of time to devote to the projects?
I am working with children and our data are not
as accurate as I'd like. Is it okay not to send it in? |
What time of year can I participate in Urban Bird Studies projects?
All the Urban Bird Studies projects are ongoing and year-round. You can
participate throughout the year, whenever it is convenient. |
How do I sign up?
Please sign up by registering through
our Join
pages. The projects are free if you wish to participate online and do
not need any paper materials. If you would like to receive paper research
kits, videos, or posters there is a fee to help cover our expenses. Please
order paper materials and other supplies through our Join
pages. Register only once to participate in any of the five Urban Bird
Studies projects. You will receive a Lab Identification number to use when
submitting your data. |
Are Urban Bird Studies projects for kids only?
Urban Bird Studies projects are meant for people of all ages, backgrounds,
and abilities. Some of our materials are meant to help children get a more
meaningful experience from the projects, but, the projects are for everyone. |
I don't live in a city--can I participate in Urban Bird Studies?
All Urban Bird Studies projects can be conducted in any location (rural,
suburban, and urban). When you begin to participate you'll need to fill
out a Habitat Form to describe the habitat you are studying. |
Should I join a group or lead a group in order to participate?
You can, but we also encourage individuals to participate on their own.
We have many individuals who participate, young professionals on their way
to work, retirees, students of all ages, as well as families, grandparents
with their grandchildren, home-schoolers, and informal and formal groups.
The possibilities are endless. |
|
Do I need a computer to participate?
The projects are completely online, so it is easier to participate if
you have access to a computer. All our materials can be downloaded and
printed directly from the project pages. You can even submit your data
through the Internet for all our projects except Birds in the City. If
you have any problems printing the materials, or do not have access to
a computer, simply let us know.
Email: urbanbirds@cornell.edu
Call: 607-254-2455
Write
Urban Bird Studies
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
|
Is there any cost involved in participating?
The projects are free. If you wish to receive paper materials or videos
through the mail instead of accessing the information through our web site,
there is a small fee to help us cover shipping and handling costs. To
order materials and videos click here. |
How do I submit my data?
You can submit your data online by visiting the following pages:
PigeonWatch
There is no online data entry for the other projects.
You can mail the Habitat Forms and Tally Sheets (downloaded and printed from the
project pages) to
Urban Bird Studies
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
|
When should I submit my data?
To help us organize the data and to encourage you to send it in, we suggest
you send your summer and fall data by December 1 and your winter and spring
data by June 1. Or simply send it as soon as you have finished counting
the birds so that you don't forget. You can submit your data whenever it
is most convenient for you. |
What if I don't know how to identify birds?
Urban Bird Studies projects are a wonderful way to learn more about birds.
Bird identification can be especially fun to learn in the context of an
Urban Bird Studies project. For Birds in the City, we recommend that beginners
choose the "Selected Species" method. You choose only one or two
species that are easy to identify and count only those birds until you learn
more about identification.
To learn more about city birds, go to the Bird
Guide.
To learn about species that are not in our Bird Guide, go to the All
About Birds/Bird Guide. |
I am an experienced birder. Is Urban Bird Studies for me?
Yes! We need your data, observations, and input. We depend on your help
and dedicated participation. It is especially helpful to us (but not necessary)
if you can submit data regularly. |
Can I participate in Urban Bird Studies if I don't have a lot of time to
devote to the projects?
Yes. You can spend one hour doing one of the projects one time only, or
you may decide that you want to devote a great deal of energy to the projects
by counting birds on a regular basis throughout the year. It's up to you!
You can participate in the projects as many times as you'd like--on your
own schedule. |
|
I am working with children and our data are not as accurate as I'd like.
Is it okay not to send it in?
Please send in your data. We have many measures in place to help us use
data that are not "perfect." Be sure to note any problems you
may have had so that we can assess the data. Every report that is submitted
is useful, even when a problem is reported. For
more information about citizen-science data, click here.
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