Project FeederWatch Commences

Lakeside Nature Center has begun another season of winter bird-watching.  On Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the winter to early April, we document the bird visitors to the outdoor feeding stations and report our findings to the Ornithological Laboratory at Cornell University. 

Update:  Project Feeder watch for 2008/2009 has started.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

These birdfeeders are seen from Lakeside's library windows.  The water feature in the feeding area is also helpful to our wintering birds.  Binoculars, charts and pictures of birds are available, as well as a bird song identifier.

Week by week, we report the weather extremes of the two-day bird count and the largest number of each species seen at a given time.  All of this information is sent to Cornell University's Project FeederWatch.  There it is compiled with data sent in from people across the United States and Canada for a statistical glimpse of winter bird populations across the continent.  This information has helped researchers track migration patterns and population changes in relation to weather.

You, too, can participate in Project FeederWatch from your home.  For more information, check the website.  Or you can contact

Project Feederwatch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY   14850
(607) 254-2427

Whether you participate in Project FeederWatch or not, enjoy your winter bird-watching.

(Story by Susan M. Bray, Lakeside Naturalist)