12.14.2011 1:47 AM

Christmas Bird Count Starts Today

You can help scientists study birds - just by watching them.

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Photo: Tony Campbell / Istock

By Dan Shapley

The longest running citizen science project in the world, Audubon's Christmas Bird Count, starts today, and it's looking for a few thousand volunteers like you. The count goes through Jan. 5, 2012.

Excursions are organized around the country by local bird clubs, and anyone can join in to help simply by identifying the birds you spot. The data is gathered and analyzed by the Audubon Society, and it informs real scientific conclusions about the state of bird populations across North America. The annual State of the Birds report, which this year detailed alarming trends in population loss among dozens of U.S. birds, would not be possible without the thousands of citizen scientists who have participated in projects like the Christmas Bird Count over the years.

The count grew out of a revolution in the way people appreciated birds. Begun in New York's Central Park on Christmas Day in 1900, American Museum of Natural History scientist Frank Chapman posed an alternative to the traditional holiday "side hunt," when teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small mammals. Instead, Chapman proposed they "hunt" birds to identify, count, and record their numbers.

To find a local count you can join, go Audubon's Christmas Bird Count Web page.

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