Citizen Scientists Needed

Citizen Scientists

It’s for the birds!!!

The Value of Participating in Annual Bird Counts as a Citizen Scientist

In 2001, Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology identified that the Chickadee population had reached a twelve-year record high. This information was gathered from the data provided by bird enthusiasts who participated as citizen scientists in several national bird counts such as the Great Backyard Bird Count, Audubon’s Annual Christmas Bird Count and Project Feeder Watch.  Due to the high numbers of Chickadees by 2004 there population crashed. Although some believed it to be the result of the West Nile virus, many biologists believed the decline to be the result from the loss of habitat required to support such a large number of birds. Wildlife populations are not static. Populations fluctuate due to a number of reasons ranging from natural causes to the activity of man. Loss of habitat continues to be the number one cause of declining bird populations. Biologists believed the Chickadee population would rebound which it has to a point by 2011. But the ongoing loss of habitat as a result of human activity will continue to affect Chickadees and other bird populations.           

Learn about becoming a citizen scientist helping collect data in your backyard, community, or in the field and sending it to the biologists at the Cornell University Bird Lab.

How to Become A Citizen Scientist