Heads up: this post is not about running–it’s definitely on the “nerdy bird” side of things.

That said, if you’re still with me, I just wanted to share how much fun I’ve been having participating in Project Feederwatch. Project Feederwatch is an initiative organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (one of the top institutions in the world for bird research). The idea is for regular people to watch birds, record what they see, and share their data with the Lab of O (as the Cornell Lab is affectionately known).

The concept is called “citizen science.” It’s booming, because technology is making it much easier to crowdsource huge amounts of data about the natural world from anyone who has an internet connection.

Help save birds

Scientists can access the data citizen scientists collect as part of Project Feederwatch. It helps them figure out which species may be in decline or on the rise, and whether and how birds are shifting their ranges or migration patterns. Those analyses can then inform conservation efforts. With limited resources, it’s key to have data that help answer questions like, “Should we prioritize protecting this patch of land or that one?”, “Are nest boxes helping?” and more.

You don’t even need to have a bird feeder to participate. If you have plantings, a bird bath, or anything else that attracts birds, you can count birds and contribute your data to the global pool. The counting season began a few months ago, but it runs through April 30. So it’s not too late to sign up for this year! If you’re interested, you can find more information here: feederwatch.org

Other citizen science opportunities

Or, if birds aren’t your jam, but you like the idea of citizen science, here are some other projects you can get involved with:

• https://www.nationalgeographic.org/idea/citizen-science-projects
• https://www.citizenscience.gov
• https://science.nasa.gov/citizenscience

Benefits of birdwatching

You already know I love birds. But I rarely actually set aside time to simply sit and watch them. I call my birding style “incidental.” I watch them while running, hiking, running errands, or doing anything else. But I only set birding as my primary purpose probably a couple times a year.

That has changed this week, as I started getting into my Project Feederwatch counts (finally). I was super excited when I received my welcome packet complete with a poster of common feeder birds in North America (it’s “nerdy bird” for a reason, alright?). I’ve spent a few hours so far over the last week watching birds in my backyard, and it’s surprisingly relaxing. (It helps that I can already recognize most of the birds I’m seeing, but seeing new ones would be super cool, too!)

Watching birds closely makes it easier to see them as individuals, and can help inspire people to protect nature. It helps me connect with nature in a new way. And any kind of focused activity, like birdwatching, helps me get into a flow state where my anxieties (temporarily) evaporate. Plus, birds are pretty, and they do silly things! They are just fun to watch.

Anyway, if you like birds at all, and are looking for a new activity that also does a bit of good, consider Project Feederwatch.

Journey on, friends!

Header image: A Northern Mockingbird. Ok, so my bird photography skills have some room for growth, haha.