Project FeederWatch getting started

Project FeederWatch, a national bird-counting program, is getting an assist from Valley birders who are once again counting and reporting numbers to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

As part of the program, people sign up and track numbers and types of birds showing up in local feeders. It's an important project that helps scientists find trends among bird populations.

"It's a citizen science program. You sit and watch your bird feeders to help scientists track bird populations," said Bob Winckler, the Project FeederWatch volunteer ambassador for Alaska and president of the Mat-Su Birders.

People can visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Web site at www.birds.cornell.edu, pay $15 and become a FeederWatch volunteer.

It entails watching feeders and counting birds, and then reporting back to the lab via e-mail or regular mail the results.

"Then you have to pick two days in succession and watch the feeders as much as possible and count the number of species that come in," Winckler said. "You count the highest number of birds of each species that come in at one time. That way you're not counting birds over and over."

In the Valley, Winckler estimated that between 35 and 40 birders took part in the program last year. He's hoping for even more this year. Around the country, 60,000 people participated. Alaska poses a bigger challenge, however, because of geography.

"We really have too few people participating to get a clear picture of what's happening up here. Alaska is too big to really cover," Winckler said.

The data helps scientists track trends in bird populations. Last winter, for example, Project FeederWatch helped scientists determine that the population of American crows dropped to a 15-year low. Species such as chickadees were also scarce, while other species appeared in record numbers around the country.

In Alaska, though, unusual winters have led to different trends in recent years.

"Generally, a lack of snow boosts your raptor count. What generally drives changes in bird populations is food availability," Winckler said.

Project FeederWatch can be done by individuals, or by groups. Across the nation, students take part in Project FeederWatch for class projects -- they can participate by simply having a feeder outside the classroom window.

For more information about Project FeederWatch, interested people can visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Web site or call Winckler at 376-8594.

The program officially started yesterday and continues through the winter.