Birdwatchers are kind of the original citizen scientists, at least as far as the Audubon Society is concerned: the Annual Christmas Bird Count, a grassroots effort to monitor bird populations, has been going on since the early 1900s. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to note that there are several citizen science initiatives that focus on birds. This week, I round up several taking place across the US this month. Grab your binoculars!
Vaux’s Happening
vauxhappening.org/Vauxs_Happening_Home.html
Named after Sir William Vaux, this bird is a member of the swift species, and is primarily found in Washington State. The Vaux’s Happening is an Audubon citizen science project that tries to locate and document the chimneys that are used as communal roosts by the bird during migration.
Urban Ecology Center/Milwaukee Biome Project
urbanecologycenter.org/what-we-do/bird-research.html
The Urban Ecology Center’s field sites are stopover locations for migrating birds. Organizers need your help to document what birds are coming and what time, and need help with banding the wee, feathered visitors.
Nesting Bald Eagles
www.georgiawildlife.com/node/1322
Eagles nest at this time of year, rather than in the spring. Researchers want to know the locations and numbers of adult and immature Bald Eagles, behavior, and learn more about their nesting activity.
Wild Turkey Survey
www.dec.ny.gov/animals/48732.html
Sorry, this is the bird, not the drink. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation wants to know the sex and age composition of flocks of Wild Turkeys observed in New York.
Chicago Bird Collision Monitors and Project Safe Flight
www.birdmonitors.net, www.nycaudubon.org/index.php/project-safe-flight,
Put your first aid skills to use by helping birds injured after striking buildings in Chicago or New York. Recover dead birds for study and counting as well.
Shorebird Monitoring
www.lapurisimaaudubon.org/PRIDE.html
The La Purisma Audubon Society wants you to help survey shorebirds along the Lower Santa Ynez River in Santa Barbara County, California.
Photo By Alex Proimos from Sydney, Australia (Bird Spotting Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons