Community Science at ��Ͽ��¼

Christmas Bird Count in Mad Island Marsh, Texas. Photo: Sydney Walsh/��Ͽ��¼

Science

Community Science at ��Ͽ��¼

Together we can make a difference.

Community Science is central to ��Ͽ��¼’s legacy and identity and the involvement of community scientists is fundamental to ��Ͽ��¼’s work to improve the lives of birds. The cornerstone is the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), begun in 1900, making it the longest-running community science program about birds, on which ��Ͽ��¼ partners with . Our climate work includes Climate Watch, a program to track the near-real-time response of 12 species to a changing climate. ��Ͽ��¼ also collaborates with the ��Ի��ǲ��The Great Backyard Bird Count, a global program for all who love birds. As a founding partner with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on , ��Ͽ��¼ continues to be a leader in the community science field.

Bird data reported by community scientists have been used by researchers since the 1930s to report on the health of bird populations, and ��Ͽ��¼’s scientists have used those data in creating innovative analytical methods that include our CBC population status and trends��Ի��learning how birds are responding to a changing climate. Current team members include Brooke Bateman (lead), Geoff LeBaron, Amanda Long, Sarah Saunders, and Tim Meehan.

Community Science

Christmas Bird Count

From December 14 through January 5 each year tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas brave snow, wind, or rain, and take part in the effort. ��Ͽ��¼ and other organizations use data collected in this long-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations, and to help guide conservation action.