Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch.

Anyone with an interest in birds can participate! FeederWatch is conducted by people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs.

FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. FeederWatch results are regularly published in scientific journals and are shared with ornithologists and bird lovers nationwide. The counts you submit will make sure that your birds (or lack of birds) are represented in papers and in the results found in the Explore Data section of the FeederWatch website.

To get started, please register at the following website: http://feederwatch.org/about/how-to-participate/

New participants receive a kit with project instructions, a bird identification poster, a resource guide to bird feeding, a calendar, an ID number required for participation, and more. Kits are mailed in the fall or within three weeks of signing up during the season.

Project FeederWatch also provides instructions: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/InstruxandUpdates/inst_index.html.