 Teaching with
Citizen Science
Counting Birds
Count
Procedure
What to Count
Tricky Counts
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What to count and what not to count Please count …
- all of the individuals that are in view
at one time. For example, if 2 House Sparrows are on your feeder and 6 more are
waiting their turn in a nearby bush, count all 8.
- birds that are attracted to your Count
Site because of something you provided, either directly or indirectly. For
example, count birds that are investigating your feeder or bird bath even if they
don’t take food.
- birds that are attracted to fruits or
ornamental plantings in your Count Site, even if only a few individuals actually
visit your feeders. Examples might include Cedar Waxwings and American Robins.
- hawks, owls, and other predatory birds
such as roadrunners and shrikes that are attracted by birds at your feeders, even
if the predators don’t make a kill.
But don’t count …
- birds that simply fly over your Count
Site, such as Canada Geese or Sandhill Cranes.
- birds that simply pass through your yard,
feeding on insects or other foods that you did not provide.
- birds that you observe outside of your
chosen Count Days. If you see interesting birds on noncount days, keep track with
a separate note-taking system or a daily journal.
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