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Calling All Florida Bird Watchers

By David Bonter, Project leader, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Bird watchers in Florida are fortunate to have an amazing diversity of birds to observe, from the stunningly beautiful, rainbow-colored Painted Bunting to exotic parrots from South America. Many of these species readily visit bird feeders, and may be attracted to your own backyard. Scientists are asking Florida bird watchers to report what they see through Project FeederWatch.

"We need to hear from more bird watchers in Florida to get an accurate picture of what's happening with bird populations from year to year," says project leader David Bonter from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Scientists learn something new from the project each year, whether it's about the movements of common backyard birds or unusual sightings of rarely seen species."

For example, Florida is at the epicenter of the recent colonization of the United States by a dove originally from India. The Eurasian Collared-Dove can now be found throughout the state, and researchers are examining FeederWatch data from Florida to better understand how this species will spread and affect native species.

The 2008-09 season of Project FeederWatch is underway and runs through April 3. Participants can sign up at any time. FeederWatchers track the numbers and kinds of birds at feeders each week and then send the information to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The information they provide helps generate the world's largest database on feeder-bird populations.

"Participating in Feeder Watch has helped me pay more attention to the birds at my feeders. It gives me a good excuse to sit at the kitchen window and watch birds," says FeederWatcher Alice Smith of McAlpin, Florida. Smith has been participating in the project 20 years.

FeederWatchers across North America submitted more than 115,000 checklists during the 2007-08 season, documenting unusual bird sightings, winter movements, and shifting ranges information scientists use to monitor the health of the birds and of the environment.

Project FeederWatch welcomes participants of all ages and skill levels. To learn more and to sign up, visit www.feederwatch.org or call (800) 843-2473. In return for the $15 fee ($12 for Lab members) participants receive the FeederWatcher's Handbook, a bird-identification poster, a calendar, instructions, and the FeederWatch annual report, Winter Bird Highlights, which summarizes the season's findings.