Project FeederWatch eNews

January 25, 2017

BirdSpotter Takes Flight

The anniversary edition of our popular BirdSpotter contest continues this week with the photo category “Birds in Flight.” Make us soar with your best photos! Submissions are open until January 26, with two lucky winners receiving prizes from the Cornell Lab and our sponsor, Wild Birds Unlimited. Photographers living in the U.S. can choose to receive a free set of illustrated note cards (limit one set per person) just for participating.

Another way to win

Not a photographer? You can still participate in the contest! If you are a registered FeederWatcher, you can win BirdSpotter prizes by sharing what sparked your interest in FeederWatch. Is feeding birds a practice passed down from generation to generation or is it a newly discovered hobby? Simply enter data online and follow the prompt on the count summary page by February 15. Last month we invited participants to share a memorable FeederWatch moment. Mary Smith of Pretty Prairie, Kansas, won with her story about a sapsucker breaking the ice on her birdbath to the delight of waiting spectators. Read her story on our blog.

Congratulations to Ida Sheppard of Cassville, New York, for winning our 20-year FeederWatch Lifetime Award! During the course of 20 years with FeederWatch, Ida says she misses the Evening Grosbeaks that used to come to her feeder. Read the rest of her story on our blog.

See all the winning BirdSpotter photos, stories, and FeederWatch lifetime awards on our blog.

Not a FeederWatcher? There’s still plenty of time to sign up!

If you aren’t already a member, sign up today and start counting your birds. There is no easier way to connect with nature and contribute to science than by participating in FeederWatch. The science comes right to your window!

Living Bird celebrates FeederWatch 30th anniversary

The winter issue of Living Bird magazine, published by the Cornell Lab, celebrates the 30th anniversary of FeederWatch with several articles highlighting the project’s findings over the years, including dynamic changes for cardinals, hawks, hummingbirds, and more. We will notify FeederWatch participants in the U.S. when the full digital version of this issue of Living Bird magazine is available. The print version of the magazine is mailed to all Cornell Lab of Ornithology members.

Looking for young citizen science ambassadors

The Citizen Science Association, 4-H, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are looking for citizen scientists between the ages of 13 and 18 who would like to help spread the word about citizen science. Ambassadors will be expected to dedicate 8 to 10 hours between February and May to help plan and create a social media campaign to connect young citizen scientists across the globe. Ambassadors also will be expected to create their own video for the campaign. Learn more.

Merlin Bird ID app with Photo ID feature launched

The Merlin Bird ID app recently added a Photo ID feature. Thanks to amazing machine-learning technology, the Photo ID feature can identify hundreds of North American species it “sees” in photos. Just choose a photo on your phone to analyze. The app will compare the photo to a giant database of photos from the same region and time of year to suggest species the bird might be. Download Merlin free for your iOS or Android device and try it out.