#telescopes.https://ebird.org/home

[theexhaustedmermaid]

Hey listen!

You really really want to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count this year. I promise it's fun and like a live action pokemon.

All you have to do is download the Merlin app here

Or log onto eBird here

https://ebird.org/home

And start counting birds! The Merlin app has this cool feature where it can identify bird songs!!

The Great Backyard Bird Count 2024 is February 16-19! This data will help scientists directly by keeping a log on migrations and biodiversity!

[habitat-restoryation]

Did you make any New Years goals/resolutions related to nature?

Mine is about birds! I've been birding for over a decade, but to be honest, I don't use eBird very often. If you don't know, eBird is a citizen science website where you submit your birding checklists, and they're compiled with other people's data from all over the world! Researchers can use this information to make important decisions about conservation and habitat management. There are also really cool maps! So it's a simple way to use the time you spend in nature to actually make a difference! For the past few months, my coworker friend at my library day job (who is also a birder) has kept telling me I should use eBird more. So, I'm giving into positive peer pressure. :) My goal for 2025 is to go birding and submit my checklists to eBird more often, and to record at least 100 species by the end of the year. 100 species might sound like a lot, but if you're an avid birder, you'll probably agree that it's a very manageable goal. I actually thought about setting a goal of 150 or 200 species to challenge myself a bit more. But I wanted to set a relatively easy, fun goal that wouldn't be too stressful or overwhelming. As long as it gets me spending more time outside in the fresh air, seeing and listening to birds, then it's is a success. As studies have shown, birding is great for your mental health. (And boy do I need things to keep me happy and calm and grounded right now amidst the US political situation). Sometimes, it's better to set an easy goal so you don't feel pressure. And then since it's fun, you might actually end up doing more than you would have if you'd set a challenging goal! So far I've recorded 31 species -- the most recent addition being a Pileated Woodpecker that flew overhead just as I was about to get in my car to go to work! Did you make any nature-related New Years goals? Comment if you'd like to share! I'm curious if there's any way I can support you. And we're only one month into the year, so it's not too late. :) Besides, you can make goals for yourself at any time of year. Every day is a fresh start.

~Rebecca 💚

[Image description: a screenshot from eBird, showing the 31 species I have observed so far in 2025, and the date I first recorded them this year.]

[magnetothemagnificent]

I really want to get into birding, but I have no idea where to start! Do you have any advice for a total beginner?

Oh boy do I have advice!

-Familiarize yourself with the birds local to your area. It's as simple as Googling "[insert state, province, etc] birds". Look for websites that have photos to accompany the information, ideally photos of the birds in different stages of development and different sexes if there's sexual dimorphism/dichromatism. Good websites are:

*Ebird. Not only does this website have information about local birds, but you can also upload your sightings and help build a global database of birds.

*All About Birds. Both this website and Ebird are associated with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which does amazing work.

*Wikipedia. Forget everything your high school teacher said about Wikipedia, if you want an easy and accessible list of birds in your region, Wikipedia is great.

-Download Merlin. I can't recommend this app enough. It's not very good at photo ID, but using it's sound ID as you're on the trail will help you become familiar with different bird calls and how to recognize them. The best part is that your findings on the app automatically link to Ebird.

-Start with a cheap pair of binoculars. I don't actually have a fancy pair of binoculars, just a $20is pair that I keep in my bag at all times, and sometimes I borrow my brother's more expensive binos for long trips. I'm saving up for a high-quality pair, but they're not necessary, and I've come this far without them.

-Look to see if there's any local birding groups in your area. Try typing in your city or region and "birding" and see what shows up. Birding with other people is a great way to pick up on identification skills. Also group birding events will also have nice pairs of binoculars that you can borrow.

-Try to train yourself to become more observant of your surroundings. You'll be surprised by how many different bird species you'll see just in regular day of work and errands. My base is in the city, and people are always surprised when I tell them just how many species of birds I see just on my way between places, because most people don't pay attention to the birds around them.

-If you get a good photo of a bird or spotted a bird you're proud of seeing, share it! Not only will it make you feel happy to get the positive validation, but it's also helping other birders to know what's in their area. You can upload your findings to iNaturalist, or just post them on the birding subreddit.

-Don't get too caught up in the competition. Some (very few) birders become really competitive if they're going for a Big Year, but really, in my opinion that sucks the fun out of nature. There's nothing wrong with setting a goal for yourself, for example, my goal for this year was spotting 100 species, and I've surpassed that at 151 and counting, but it's not a competition, just a personal goal.

-If you're going out into the field, make sure you're dressed appropriately for the terrain and weather. If you have seasonal allergies, make sure you pack allergy meds, because there's nothing worse than erupting into a fit of coughs and sneezes and scaring all the birds away.

-Do not touch the birds. Birding is about observing birds, not catching or touching them.

Good luck!!!

[northamericanbirder]

  Get to know your bird organizations:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Cornell Lab provides quite a number of data-driven apps and repositories, with many of the contributions through citizen science (birders like you and me):

eBird (website and mobile app) This has become the de facto app and website for submitting bird sightings. It's also great for researching birding hotspots all around the world. The website offers a great deal more information and functionality than the app (such as uploading photos to accompany your sightings, and providing you with your own central sightings hub complete with maps), so using them in tandem is the best strategy. All rare sightings are reviewed for accuracy by qualified volunteers.  

Merlin (mobile app) This is the app that gets a lot of press due to its ease of entry to the world of birdwatching. Hit the 'record' button and it will listen for bird calls and suggest species. It does a decent job of that. You can also upload photos of birds to see if they match anything in the database. Note however, that it has developed a bit of a reputation for frustrating ornithologists due to false positives that novices might not catch, suggesting rare birds that wouldn't be anywhere nearby, and thus tainting the eBird data.  

All About Birds Cornell's bird guide; search by species and it will provide a great deal of information. There's a lot of clicking involved (there's an Overview tab, an ID info tab, a Life History tab, a Maps tab), instead of the info being presented on a single scrollable page, but I enjoy their 'Cool Facts' section.  

Macaulay Library This is Cornell's media library (photos, videos, audio). When a photo or audio clip is submitted through eBird, it will then show up here in the archives, along with any additional information that the photographer might have included (e.g., how many are in the photo, is it male or female, is it foraging). The library has been operating since 1929, and has over 60 million pieces of media. The information included in the library helps to power the Merlin app, providing more photographs and audio clips for comparison purposes.  

eBird Status and Trends data visualizer Using the eBird data to track bird population increases and declines, as well as possible geographic shifts. The visualizer provides heat maps superimposed on a globe, and you can hit the 'play' button to see how things shift throughout the year.  

Feeder Watch This is a backyard counting project (in conjunction with Birds Canada) that is roughly the same as eBird, but for bird feeders and backyards. Participants spend two consecutive days per week (or as much as they can) watching to see who shows up, and you can compare your data to your neighbours. The data goes back decades, and you can use a few different visualizations to see trends.  

Bird Academy As Cornell is a university, they offer online classes. They range from the simple (eBird essentials; Free), to the more complex (Ornithology: Complex Bird Biology; $240 USD; 100+ hours to complete).  

(Eastern Bluebird photo by @everydayesterday)

[wbicepuppy]

If you choose birds instead, maybe get an e-bird account, use merlin and all about birds if you're in North America like me as tools, find yourself a good bird guide and figure out local bird hotspots (even if you live in the city, you'll be surprised!)

I don't know too much about plants, I believe you can use inaturalist to record anything you find and there's tools and stuff to identify what you're not sure about

If your life is horrible and you need a new source of meaning and direction.... Do NOT find religion. Learn to identify plants.

[jeffalessandrelli]

Collapsing bird numbers in North America prompt fears of ecological crisis – research

Bird populations across North America are falling most quickly in areas where they are most abundant, according to new research, prompting fears of ecological collapse in previously protected areas.

Analysis of nearly 500 bird species across North America has found that three-quarters are declining across their ranges, with two-thirds of the total shrinking significantly.

The study, published in the journal Science, indicates that former strongholds for bird species are no longer safe, particularly in grasslands, drylands and the Arctic.

In one of the most ambitious uses of citizen science data so far, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology used observations from eBird, a popular application used by birdwatchers to record sightings, to model changes between 2007 and 2021. The granularity of the data allowed researchers to track the rate of change in 27 sq km (10 sq miles) segments across North America, showing dramatic declines in areas where less than two decades ago bird species had thrived.

[darshanan-blog]

Birding in Bay Area, CA

I love life from all angles and I never shy away from different experiences. Recently I had some members of my family visit me with young children who were into birding.  There’s always something new to learn from the younger generation. I spent a wonderful week with them exploring local birding areas and learned about birds and birding. We visited various birding places. I cannot remember all…

[polixy]

Younger, more educated U.S. adults are more likely to take part in citizen science research

Younger, more educated U.S. adults are more likely to take part in citizen science research;

Zane Baker scans the skies for migrating raptors as part of an annual hawk watch event on Bradbury Mountain in Pownal, Maine. His data goes to a national database. (Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

In recent years, a host of new ways have emerged for people with little or no formal science training to take part in scientific research projects. Such citizen science often entails crowdsourcing data collection related to natural phenomena such as birds and astronomical objects – and, lately, the COVID-19 pandemic – but it can encompass a wide range of other activities.

One-in-ten U.S. adults say they have taken part in an activity classified as citizen science in the past year, and 26% say they have ever done so, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 29-May 5.

The Center survey combined responses to three questions to better capture the range of citizen science activities. The survey asked respondents if they had made observations or collected data samples as part of a science research project, contributed to a science-related online crowdsourcing activity, or participated in “a maker movement or hack-a-thon,” in which citizens seek to adapt and invent through hands-on use of science, technology and engineering tools.

This analysis about Americans’ behavioral engagement with science and scientific research is based on a survey of 10,957 U.S. adults conducted from April 29 to May 5, 2020. Everyone who took part is a member of Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology.

Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, as well as its methodology.

Other ways people have engaged with science and scientific research over the past year include taking part in a clinical or medical research study (6%) and giving money to support medical or science research (13%). For comparison, about two-in-ten adults (19%) and 44% of parents with a minor-age child say they have helped a child with a science project in the past year.

Younger generations and Americans with a postgraduate degree are more likely to have participated in some kind of citizen science activity.

One-in-seven Millennial and Generation Z adults (14%) have taken part in a citizen science project over the past year, and a total of 34% have done so at some point in the past. By contrast, Baby Boomer and older adults are about half as likely to say they have participated in a citizen science activity in the past year.

People with higher levels of education are more likely to have engaged in all five science-related activities on the survey, including citizen science. Among those with a postgraduate degree, 15% have done a citizen science activity in the past year, compared with 7% of those with a high school diploma or less. (For more information, see the detailed table below.)

While a recent Center study found a growing divide between political groups over their trust in scientists, citizen science tends to cut across party lines; 8% of Republicans and those who lean to the Republican Party say they took part in a citizen science project over the past year, as did 11% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.

Note: Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, as well as its methodology.

Cary Funk  is director of science and society research at Pew Research Center.

; Blog (Fact Tank) – Pew Research Center; https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/06/25/younger-more-educated-u-s-adults-are-more-likely-to-take-part-in-citizen-science-research/; https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/FT_20.06.25_CitizenScience_feature.jpg; June 25, 2020 at 03:12PM