Many residents of the North Shore region find wintertime pleasure in watching birds gather at their backyard feeders. Some of those residents watch birds for science.

For 23 years, a survey called Project FeederWatch has mobilized nearly 16,000 birdwatchers across North America to serve as “citizen scientists,” tracking their avian visitors between November and April. FeederWatch data help ornithologists study how bird diseases spread, spot changes in the abundance and distribution of bird species, and identify the foods and environmental factors that attract birds. The project is run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.

Though the tracking protocol is based on scientific methods, the format is easy to follow. FeederWatchers count the highest number of each species of bird they see at their feeders. Observations are compared against past results to achieve an overall image of what is occurring in the bird world.

New project participants receive a “Research Kit” containing educational materials, including a poster, a bird-watching calendar, and region-specific count forms. Teachers and homeschoolers are among those who use Project FeederWatch as a learning tool. An Ohio teacher reports on the project website that he has “144 sixth grade students who FeederWatch,” adding that the students “are thrilled that the scientists really use their data.”

Because of the number and distribution of participants, Project FeederWatch is very effective in revealing trends in bird populations. Last winter, for example, FeederWatchers reported a large number of pine siskins from Thunder Bay to New Orleans. These birds were spotted at 50% of all feeders and had an average flock size of 15. Regionally, evening grosbeaks began appearing in larger numbers than in the past, even though overall sightings indicated a sharp decline in population.

Data also help track avian diseases and disorders. The Alaska Science Center has been examining the presence of beak deformities since 1999. FeederWatchers have helped compile reports of nearly 1,500 chickadees with this affliction--the highest concentration of such abnormalities ever recorded in a wild bird population.