Information gathering efforts are for the birds

MAT-SU — According to Cornell information, FeederWatch tracks more than 100 bird species that winter in North America. FeederWatch data tells the university where birds are as well as where they are not. That information helps scientists piece together the most accurate population maps.

The information from Winckler, the Gaiser family in the Mat-Su Valley and others in Alaska and around the continent also helps the university to determine if a certain species is at risk.

Cornell researchers say population sizes of vary from year to year.

Downward trends for two, three, or even more years may not indicate actual population declines, researchers say. Such trends may simply reflect short-term weather patterns or other variations in natural food supply and abundance. Sometimes, however, the information can reveal a long-term population decline of a particular species. When bird population scientists become aware of such a trend, they evaluate what they know about the species, its habitat, and other factors that may be causing its decline.

For example, is the bird’s food in short supply? Has the amount of suitable habitat changed on the species’ breeding or wintering grounds? Has a potentially competitive species shown a population increase?

By combining all they know about a species from monitoring data and intensive research projects, scientists can begin to understand why a species is declining, and to make recommendations for its recovery before it is too late.

—T.C. Mitchell