Entries Tagged 'Citizen Science' ↓
February 14th, 2008 — Citizen Science
Prothonotary Warblers, or Golden Swamp Warblers as they are sometimes called, are the only eastern wood warbler that nests in cavities. Lucy’s Warbler in the west is the only other.
Natural cavities abandoned by woodpeckers over or near water is their preference, but they will use nest boxes in shaded areas near standing water. This makes it possible for us to help them re-establish within restored habitats and putting up artificial boxes has proven to be helpful.
Photo by hart_curt
Preserving the National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) is an important key to saving many endangered bird species, including the Prothonotary Warbler. Buying duck stamps helps save NWR habitats.
We can also help the Prothonotary Warbler by coordinating nest box projects. Because their habitat is so localized, they are very vulnerable to habitat destruction.
The Birdfreak Team is hoping to bring a project such as this to Winnebago County through our own bird club, the North Central Illinois Ornithological Society.
Two organizations currently involved in Prothonotary Warbler Projects are The Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers Association and Richmond Audubon Society, both in Virginia.
Related Information
Prothonotary Warbler male - Photo by c-eight
February 13th, 2008 — Citizen Science
Sometimes, not seeing a bird (and reporting it) can greatly help bird population studies. The Yellow-billed Magpie is at possible risk due to the West Nile Virus and habitat loss. Citizen scientists can help if they live near the range of this California endemic.
Although the Yellow-billed Magpie is common and conspicuous in the open oak woodlands of central and southern California, it is found nowhere else in the world. - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Magpie Monitors (also known as Bicycle Bird Biologists) are dedicated to helping better understand the relationship between Yellow-billed Magpie populations and the West Nile Virus after a decline was noticed.
Helpful projects through Magpie Monitors include Point Counts four times a year, Adopting and monitoring a nest, and collecting feathers for DNA studies.
With the help of local birders, citizen science can preserve and protect this unique bird species.
February 12th, 2008 — Citizen Science
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Anyone can sign up to be part of this scientific research, which is used to study trends in bird distribution and abundance.
The small fee for Project Feeder Watch covers a materials kit including instructions, a bird identification poster, a wall calendar, a resource guide to bird feeding, and data forms. The survey starts November 10 and runs for 21 weeks, through early April. You can sign up after November up until February 28th, and you can sign up for the following year starting on March 1st.
This is a popular citizen science project that can be done quite easily from home. The project was discussed on Martha Stewart’s television show in October, 2007, further popularizing it.
Join the fun and help monitor our fine feathered friends this winter!
Related Posts
- The Zen Birdfeeder
- Muddy Boots
- Greensboro Birds
February 9th, 2008 — Citizen Science
Far away in a distant land, miles away from Illinois, live small colonies of wondrous birds never seen by a Birdfreak.
Although they might look like our oh-so-common Red-wing Blackbirds, Tricolored Blackbirds are a localized species of small numbers occurring mainly in California.
Tricolored Blackbirds near Drake’s Beach at Pt. Reyes, California
Photo courtesy of Doug Greenberg
An effort to monitor the annual distribution and abundance of the Tricolored Blackbird population was initiated in 1994 by the Point Reyes Bird Observatory and other state and federal organizations.
California eBird will be looking for volunteers for a Citizen Science project to track the colony locations and numbers of Tricolored Blackbirds. We decided that perhaps we could help out by spreading the word. The survey will take place over one full day between April 25th and 27th, 2008. Additional survey data will also be welcome.
Almost all (95-99%) Tricolored Blackbirds live within California and they are hard to track as their colonies move from year-to-year. A statewide survey is necessary to study their numbers. As of 1997 approximately 233,000 Tricolored Blackbirds remained, a decline of nearly 34% since a previous survey only three years earlier, in 1994. They are on Audubon’s WatchList as their numbers have declined so rapidly.
A one day count and a few caring birders will make tracking the Tricolored Blackbird much easier, and knowing their status helps conservation efforts for the bird immensely.
California Partners In Flight -Species Range Maps and Habitat Maps, 2004
February 7th, 2008 — Citizen Science
The Great Backyard Bird Count…..
…an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.
This is without a doubt the easiest citizen science project that any age can participate in. This year’s count runs from February 15-18 and within those dates, for fifteen minutes or more, count the birds you see. A separate list for each place is all that is required and the data can be entered online.
In February 2007, citizen scientists across the United States and Canada counted more than 11 million birds, and tallied 616 species, for the tenth annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). The tenth annual GBBC was a record-breaking count, with more than 80,000 checklists submitted, which exceeded the previous record of 61,000 checklists in 2000 by 33 percent! - Audubon.org
The UK also partakes in a similar study, the Big Garden Birdwatch and they use a great term; “armchair scientists“. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) exists to conserve wild birds and the environment and we appreciate all the work they do there.
So, if you want to start getting involved in citizen science, this is the project for you! It is easy, fun, and builds a map of where the birds are in the country.
A Few 2007 Great Backyard Bird Count Posts
February 6th, 2008 — Citizen Science
Launched in 2002, eBird is the premiere online storing house for bird sightings. eBird is citizen science at its finest: an easy to use place for individuals to submit bird sightings from all over the world that when put together forms a usable resource for bird conservationists all over.
How it works (bare basics)
- User enters bird sightings via checklist style form
- Checklists are added to the pool of other checklists
- Other users including bird conservationists along with birders can look up data and even make graphs
When we go to Horicon Marsh to see birds like this Forster’s Tern (below), we always eBird the results
Over time and with more users, eBird collects more data. Recently, the one millionth checklist was submitted, but this barely scratches the surface of the full potential of eBird. This is where Bird Clubs can really help out.
In Illinois there are several bird clubs including a state wide organization, the Illinois Ornithological Society (IOS). Locally, we belong to the North Central Illinois Ornithological Society (NCIOS) and there are several other bird clubs throughout the state. But, when I did a presentation for NCIOS about using the internet for birding, a show of hands yielded no birders in a group of thirty or so that were familiar with eBird. Zero, zilch, nada!
More evidence of the lacking of submissions: eBird keeps track of checklists submitted by state. January had 460+ checklists for Illinois. IBET, the rare bird and sighting sharing group has over 1,000 members. The Birdfreak Team submitted 10 checklists in January, low for us. If you do the math, not many birders are adding their data to the pool.
So, for Citizen Science Month we have a challenge. If you belong to a bird club, see about getting your club involved in eBird submissions. Even if it is just designating one person on a bird hike to add the day’s tally into the system, the data together will help build the big picture on bird population trends.
February 5th, 2008 — Citizen Science
The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), another bird on Audubon’s WatchList, is threatened by loss of habitat, but is increasing in the northern and northwestern parts of North America. Their decline also correlates with the Blue-winged Warbler’s expansion into the Golden-winged Warbler’s range. This expansion leads to competition and widespread hybridization of the two species.
Photo courtesy of our friend John
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