by DJ Featherton

Did you know that your own backyard is a valuable outdoor laboratory?  There is a whole list of “citizen science” projects that want you to collect and report data for scientific research. There are literally thousands of citizen science projects available for everyone to pick and choose from. All of these projects are sponsored by universities, scientific laboratories and institutions worldwide. There’s everything from astronomy to zoology. The data you collect is crunched with that of thousands of others doing the same project.  Collectively, this makes for thorough species and environmental data for researchers. Some projects are worldwide, some North American, and some local. There are many backyard programs that are vital and fun to participate in. This includes reports on your flowers and gardens, bugs, trees and wild plants, butterflies and moths, and of course, your birds. In this regard, your backyard is your laboratory, and you become a “citizen scientist”.

I’m a birder. We live in a wooded suburban area with lots of small lakes, so we enjoy a large variety of local birds. Our backyard feeder is always busy while owls, osprey and bald eagles frequently perch in the trees. Over the past few years my wife and I have really gotten hooked on being citizen scientists with several Cornell Ornithology Lab projects. Example: We do Project Feederwatch.  We simply count birds at our feeders following Cornell’s instructions and using their easy tally sheet. The project is to count birds at the feeder, 2 consecutive days a week, for no less than 15 minutes per day over a period of five months. We record the greatest number of each species at comes to the feeder and note the weather conditions. Just when I thought I knew everything about my backyard birds, I find being a citizen scientist keeps me learning more all the time.

Sometimes, we’ll do a quick project away from home and the backyard. A favorite has been hawk counts at different migration points. The same goes for certain birds in peak migration. These projects supply scientists and educators with huge amounts of current data on changes in our environment and our life within. There are simply more bird observers than scientists to do the job. Many citizen science groups are easily available and looking for volunteers. My family enjoys Audubon, National Geographic, and especially Cornell Ornithology Lab projects. Hundreds of thousands of bird enthusiasts from around the world contribute a massive volume of data for scientific research. I am one of them. You can be, too. 

There is so much online information about citizen science that one really has to meet up with Mr. Google or Wikipedia. But, to get your feet wet, check out this short list of fun birding projects from Cornell…

Is this a good time to gin up an engaging backyard birding program or two? Yes, I think it is! Give it a try. It’s easy, and you don’t have to worry about the bird police pecking at your door and asking for anything! Enjoy your birds!