Lesson 1: Welcome to Habitats for Backyard Birds!
How Can Individuals Help?
How Can Individuals Help?
Individuals can help to reverse the decline of native backyard birds by providing safe habitat: food, shelter and water. In Lesson Two, with the help of our textbook, The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher, you will learn what kinds of food, shelter and watering areas are used by the kinds of birds you want to attract.
There are also many opportunities to participate in citizen research projects. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has research projects for people of all ages in urban, suburban and rural settings.
Join one or more of the Lab's research teams described below and become a citizen scientist. Click on Birding123/Report Observations on the Lab's web site at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/Al... to obtain more detailed information about these research programs.
eBird is a continent-wide, year-round survey of North American birds. Participants can enter observations of any bird, from anywhere, at anytime. eBird uses state of the art Web technology to provide a simple and flexible, yet powerful, way for participants to track the birds they see and share that information with scientists, teachers, amateur naturalists, and other birders.
Birds in Forested Landscapes (BFL) focuses on studying the effects of habitat change, such as forest fragmentation on North American birds. BFL participants choose study sites in forests of various sizes, then survey for target species by broadcasting recordings of the species’ vocalizations.
The Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project (GOWAP) is designed to determine the population status and habitat and area requirements of the Golden-winged and the Blue-winged warblers as well as their hybrids. This study engages volunteer birders and professional biologists to study golden-wings at known and potential breeding sites.
Project PigeonWatch - Did you know that pigeons come in different colors? Join PigeonWatch and help scientists solve the mystery, "Why are there so many colors of pigeons?"
Birdsource - Developed and managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, Birdsource provides the technology that powers many of the Lab’s Internet-based Citizen Science projects. Birdsource also implements a variety of interactive online projects.
The Birdhouse Network - Join The Birdhouse Network and help scientists in the study and conservation of North American cavity-nesting birds. All you need is a nest box (birdhouse) and a small amount of time each week during spring and summer to monitor the birds nesting in your box(es).
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a four-day long winter survey of birds. The project is Internet-based and allows anyone to submit their observations and see results in real time.
Urban Bird Studies Project - It's a mystery how birds survive in urban landscapes. Join hundreds of city residents and help scientists learn more about urban birds.
House Finch Disease Survey - Participants monitor their backyard bird feeders and report the presence or absence of House Finch eye disease, a form of conjunctivitis caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Thanks to citizen scientists, Lab researchers have been able to track the occurrence and spread of the disease across eastern and central North America.
Project FeederWatch - Join over 16,000 other citizen scientists who periodically count the birds that visit their bird feeders from November to April. Your counts will help scientists track the distribution and abundance of birds in winter. Anyone can participate in Project FeederWatch.
Educator's Guide to Bird Study - The Cornell Lab’s citizen-science projects work great in elementary and middle-school classrooms. They promote scientific inquiry through children’s natural fascination with birds.
Classroom FeederWatch - Students learn inquiry by observing and recording bird counts and interacting with university scientists. Data are part of a continent-wide effort to learn more about bird population dynamics.
Lesson Two is a new skills lesson that provides you with detailed information about the components of a backyard bird habitat: food, shelter and water. You will learn how to add these features to your own backyard.
