Spring is in the air – become a citizen scientist by counting birds 

Although it has faded from the national news cycle, Avian Bird Flu continues to have a negative impact on a variety of wild bird species including hawks, eagles, owls, crows, vultures, shorebirds, game birds, and especially waterfowl such as Canada geese and mallard.  The Field Tally 2024 from last year’s Christmas Bird Count in Jo Daviess County suggests that this impact is being felt in our area. To help track population trends, JDCF is asking the public for help in watching nests and counting birds in Jo Daviess County and the surrounding area by using easily available apps on your phone.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch is one such community science app. You can join a global group of citizen scientists who are gathering essential data for actual scientists to use in their research.  Cornell also offers the Merlin app that will listen and identify bird songs for you. Then, choose the way you would like to record all of the bird species you see and hear by using Cornell Lab’s Feederwatch or Ebird community science platforms. FeederWatch count days are two consecutive days that you chose, when you count the birds and mammals at your feeders. Ebird allows you to start a new species count list every time you go birding!

Each of these platforms is user-friendly with simple instructions for their use. JDCF Director of Education and Outreach, Hillary Holt has found that “every person I have demonstrated the app for has been surprised at how easy and fun the platform is to use, even people that swore they could never learn new technology. “

If you want to get more involved with JDCF and the birding community, volunteer with us to count birds with a group or in your backyard as a part of the IL Natural History Survey Spring Bird Count or the Audubon Christmas Count each year. Please call or email Hillary with questions or to set-up a time to meet in person, hholt@jdcf.org, 8158589100 x 105