[Cornell Lab of Ornithology] – More FeederWatchers Needed
November 3, 2011
Article in: Bird Conservation
A release from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. They are in need of more FeederWatchers. It is a fun way for birders and casual nature lovers to help through citizen science. Check it out!
From Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
Ithaca, NY—When thousands of Americans begin tallying birds at their backyard feeders next month for Project FeederWatch, they will launch the 25th season for this popular citizen-science program. The information reported online from across the continent helps scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology track changes in the numbers of birds and the distribution of species. Anyone with an interest in birds and nature is invited to learn more about the project and become a “citizen scientist.” The new season of FeederWatch begins November 12, but participants can come on board at any time at www.FeederWatch.org.
Evening Grosbeak by Gord Belyea / Project FeederWatch
Because most birds reproduce yearly, FeederWatch data cover nearly 25 generations of birds. Keeping tabs on 25 human generations would mean covering about 500 years! Many mysteries and surprises have been revealed since the program began in 1987. Some species, like Northern Cardinals and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, are expanding their ranges to the north, probably the result of a changing climate and the alteration of habitat. The Evening Grosbeak, once a familiar feeder bird in winter, has disappeared from much of its former range. Meanwhile, an invasive species, the Eurasian Collared-Dove, has spread from Florida to Alaska in less than a decade and is quickly becoming one of the more familiar birds at feeders across the country.
“None of these important changes in the distribution and abundance of birds would be understood without the help of our dedicated FeederWatchers,” said project leader David Bonter. “By watching and keeping track of the birds in your own neighborhood, you really can make a difference.” More than 50,000 people have participated in FeederWatch, and new participants are welcome to join at any time. “The more people watching, the more we can learn about the birds that brighten the winter landscape,” said Bonter.
To learn more about joining Project FeederWatch and to sign up, visit www.FeederWatch.org or call the Cornell Lab toll-free at (866) 989-2473. In return for the $15 fee ($12 for Cornell Lab members) participants receive the FeederWatcher’s Handbook with tips on how to successfully attract birds, an identification poster of the most common feeder birds, a calendar, complete instructions, and Winter Bird Highlights, an annual summary of FeederWatch findings.
-end release-
Week 1 – eCornell Course – “Courtship and Rivalry in Birds”
November 23, 2009
Article in: Birding
We have recently enrolled in an eCornell course called “Courtship and Rivalry in Birds“. This is a 5-week course and here is a recap of the first module/week of this course.
The course begins with a calm, relaxed pace with step-by-step details on what to expect and how to benefit fully. Included with the course is a template for keeping a nature journal, an often overlooked tool for improving bird behavior (and other natural) observations in the field. You can print out the journal (recommended) to write along with the course or save it out as a Word or Google document to keep it in electronic form.
The first module has you watch a 3 minute video that displays a wide variety of bird behaviors. Your requirement is to try to record as many behaviors as you can observe. It is worth watching a couple of times, the first just observing and the next recording your observations.
Next, you are asked to organize your written behaviors into categories as a way to better understand how these relate to each other. There is an interactive test to assist you and explain why certain behaviors are communication or non-communication, social or self-maintenance, and more.
The final requirement and a major focus on the overall course, is to participate in the discussion forums. Here, for week one, we were asked to post questions on bird behaviors we have observed and to answer other students’ posed questions.
Look for our recap of week 2. Another session of the course begins January 6, 2010.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Website Changes
January 10, 2009
Article in: Birding
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is making huge leaps into improving and enhancing their website to better serve the birding community. This is great news for bird marketers because the Lab is an amazing resource when talking about birds.
The Lab is asking for feedback on the planned changes for their All About Birds section. [Make sure to view the full image to get the big picture of the changes.]
We are extremely pleased with the new look already but the birding community as a whole can provide that extra idea, suggestion, annoyance to their plan and help shape the site to really be the ultimate source for birders.
Some of the big changes include:
- tabular browsing
- more bird images (including some provided by the birding community (see Birdshare)
- similar species viewed on page
- enhanced search
- increased multimedia (video and sound)
- an overall better user experience
Make sure to check them out and give some feedback.
C-Notes #6 – Birdwire, Bird News Network, and Round Robin
September 25, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
The American Bird Conservancy is a treasure trove of bird conservation information. While the ABC website is a great place to browse, there are two ways to stay up on important bird conservation news.
- One, you can subscribe to the free newsletter, Birdwire.
- Two, you can subscribe to the Bird News Network.
The American Bird Conservancy is a leading bird conservation organization and we strongly encourage everyone to become members if they are not already.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Round Robin Blog – If you are not already aware of Cornell’s blog, this is a great place to voice your opinions on ways the Lab can improve their website and even their whole way of doing business. This is a fabulous place to learn about new projects going down at the lab, some of which are truly innovative for this type of large organization.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “Little Green Places” Contest
September 24, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
All over the world there are great places to go birding. Some are thousands of acres of pristine habitat while others are little nooks where industrious birds find safety and thrive. Do you have a special “Little Green Place” that is worthy of getting the attention it deserves?
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a new contest where all you have to do is send in a photo, drawing, or video link of your special LGP! You have until October 31st to get this in so don’t delay!
There are many cool prizes to be won including a $100 gift certificate from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. But perhaps the greatest prize is spreading the word that no matter if you have acres of land or provide a simple water bath for birds, millions of people creating Little Green Places can make a big difference.
Full details including how to enter can be found at Cornell’s Website.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Handbook of Bird Biology [review - part 2]
September 21, 2008
Article in: Book Reviews
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Handbook of Bird Biology is massive in size and information. Thus, we’ve decided to break down the review of it into two equal parts. This is part 2 of 2. See part one
After making our way through 5 chapters (and a supplemental one), the final 5 chapters are equally entertaining as the first and just as jam-packed with bird-related information.
- Chapter 6 – Understanding Bird Behavior
- Chapter 7 – Vocal Behavior
- Chapter 8 – Nests, Eggs, and Young: Breeding Biology of Birds
- Chapter 9 – Individuals, Populations, and Communities: The Ecology of Birds
- Chapter 10 – Bird Conservation
The second half of the Handbook of Bird Biology is easily our favorite. The topics discussed are more in line with our learning curve: bird behavior and bird conservation especially. Chapter 7 is accompanied by the included CD with 71 tracks of interesting bird sounds. The text references the tracks to help better relate how birds communicate.
The CD included is amazing in itself
As a website with a heavy focus on bird conservation, the final chapter is especially worthwhile. The information provided is straightforward yet not doom-and-gloom. The textbook essentially ends with a piece on “Never Give Up”.
“Do not ever resign yourself to the idea that the battle is lost, or that it cannot be won… Although we have used our powers to damage ecosystems and destroy birds for centuries, within the last few decades we have also begun to master our powers to heal and protect… Fortunately, if we enjoy birds we can always have great fun along the way, because birds will never be far from the center of our focus.” – 10-116: Handbook of Bird Biology
Overall we give this important textbook 10 out of 10 feathers. Even at around $100.00, it is a great investment for every birder and conservationist.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Handbook of Bird Biology [review - part 1]
September 17, 2008
Article in: Book Reviews
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Handbook of Bird Biology is massive in size and information. Thus, we’ve decided to break down the review of it into two equal parts. This is part 1 of 2.
With eleven fully-loaded chapters of bird biology, birding information, conservation, and more, the Handbook of Bird Biology is indeed a full blown text book. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers a home study course that accompanies the book (for an extra cost), but as a standalone, there are many reasons to add this to your library.
The first five chapters include:
- Chapter 1 – Introduction: The World of Birds
- Chapter 2 – A Guide to Bird Watching
- Chapter 3 – Form and Function: The External Bird
- Chapter 4 – What’s Inside: Anatomy and Physiology
- Chapter 5 – Birds on the Move: Flight and Migration
Plus a supplement chapter
- E – Evolution on Birds and Avian Flight
No matter your skill level of birding, the Handbook takes us through the basic parts of birds in a scientific yet readable method. The information is broken up nicely with amazing photos and beautifully crafted illustrations.
Fun facts are sprinkled throughout, providing a fun learning experience. The chapters are fairly stand-alone, so certain sections can be skimmed over if they are not as interesting (some of the internal biological functions are a bit overwhelming!).
Already we discovered the cool fact that American Woodcocks can see predators approaching due to the placement of their eyes. Also of interest, the oldest living wild bird was the Laysan Albatross at 42 years, 5 months.
The chapter on flight and migration is particularly valuable for learning about how birds fly, how and why they migrate, and more. Besides the technical details of this enviable skill, as birders this chapter enhances our understanding of the variations of wings and flight in identifying birds.
All the text is written by respective experts in their fields, providing a truly invaluable resource and a must for every birder’s bookshelf.
Stay tuned for part two of this review which discusses five more chapters of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Handbook of Bird Biology.
12 Tips for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Website Redesign
June 9, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is redesigning/upgrading their already wonderful website. They are offering suggestions on their redesign blog, Round Robin so we decided to not just comment, but give these tips.
1 – Add corporate blog or blogs
- Blogging is not some sort of quaint trend that will fizzle out in a few years. Blogs are revolutionary in their simplistic way of creating a community, providing updated content, and being search engine friendly (see #2). If a few “big names” at the Lab start up some blogs about their adventures, the amount of time invested will easily provide huge returns.
2 – Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
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No matter how the site looks from a design perspective, the number one focus should be usability, followed closely by Search Engine Optimization. Most people searching for information about birds and bird conservation projects will come across the Lab’s load of content, so each page should be optimized in order to direct this traffic to the site.
We will gladly assist the Lab on further explaining ways to do this and why it is so important.
3 – Add More Media to All About Birds
- Another vital addition to the All About Birds section would be to increase the amount of photos and video available (and sound too, but the Macaulay Library has that covered well). This could be done via user submissions or using the Creative Commons (CC) license found on places like Flickr. All of our photos are CC and we’d be happy to share them with Cornell!
4 – Searchable All About Birds
- This issue was brought up on the Round Robin blog but deserves an agreement. The All About Birds section is the most used section by us (followed by the Macaulay Library) and making it easier to nail down a bird identification or just find a bird via unconventional means (like by “birds that sing at night”).
5 – One Master Login
- With new features enabled it would be nice to have one master login for users. This could be for all citizen science projects as well as the Birds of North America Online, eBird, etc. This makes it easier for users and in theory, the Lab as well.
6 – Premium/Lab Membership Recognition
- If a master login with user profile is created, those people who are Lab members or Premium members or whatever, should be recognized in their profile and icon/avatar. This works well with other social networking sites and with the number of projects Cornell is part of, they can be a big player in this area.
7 – Points System
- To encourage contributions, the Lab’s new site could employ a point system – earn points for commenting, adding photos, helping others ID birds, etc.
8 – Premium/Exclusive Content
- If various levels of users are available, those that are Lab members or Premium members should have special access to certain areas. This would help increase membership of Cornell as well as provide more incentive for us members to continue as members and participate more.
9 – Easy Navigation
- Not all members/users will be web savvy so it is important for the Lab to use straightforward navigation and linking. No fancy Flash or long-loading graphics. Just use clean and elegant menus (limited on the drop-downs) that enable users to find what they want within 2 or 3 clicks.
10 – Allow Commenting on Content/Articles
- Related to the above blogging suggestion, all articles, press releases, projects, etc. should allow people to comment on. Of course, this needs to be moderated, but even having user-moderators will ensure SPAM gets caught and trouble-makers removed.
11 – Let the Bird of Mouth Spread
- Word (bird) of Mouth is a powerful tool. Each article, post, project, etc. needs to be easily submitted to sites like StumbleUpon, Digg, etc. as well as emailed to friends. The use of RSS (syndication feeds) is also important so users can get content delivered to them.
12 – User Generated Content (UGC)
- While we would suggest against allowing users to create mini “Lab Blogs”, other content could be allowed in regards to various sections of the Lab. For example, the All About Birds section could allow for field observations about the birds, tips for identification, etc. The Citizen Science projects could have the same sort of UGC.
We hope these suggestions help the Lab improve their already fun and informative site. Add your ideas as well!!
