Cornell Celebrates Urban Birds

Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle May 8, 2007

In March, I wrote about Garden Birdwatch, a project in England organized by the British Trust for Ornithology: residents of London, England, are being asked to gather data on garden birds to determine how the birds are using urban green spaces. Now the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology is doing something similar in the United States.

“Celebrate Urban Birds” is a project to gather data on how fifteen easily recognizable species of birds are using trees, gardens and other green spaces in US urban areas. People are being asked to register and spend ten minutes or more watching birds and collecting data on which birds they see.

Officially, 2007 “Celebrate Urban Birds” coincides with International Migratory Bird Day, but US residents can participate any time. Find out more, register, and download a kit for data collection from the Cornell celebration website—you can continue to celebrate urban birds and send in data throughout the summer and fall. If you do, you’ll be a citizen scientist.

Read about ways to make your own urban green space more bird friendly:

Garden Birds and Transition Zones

Garden Plants That Attract Birds