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"Even watching common birds can yield uncommon results!" So says Project FeederWatch leader David Bonter of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This popular citizen-science project is entering its 18th season. More than 10,000 participants across North America have made Project FeederWatch part of their winter ritual. FeederWatch participants track birds at their feeders from November through early April to help scientists monitor bird populations.

Last year’s season turned up some surprises, including the inexorable march of an invasive species, pets gone wild, and many rare bird sightings. An invasive species, the Eurasian Collared-Dove, continued its astounding expansion across North America. In a few short years after being introduced in the Bahamas, this native of the Indian sub-continent has spread over nearly two-thirds of the continental United States. Flocks of Monk Parakeets, another non-native species, turned up in Chicago, Connecticut, Long Island, and Florida. These parakeets are among the dozens of avian immigrants that have escaped from captivity and are now successfully reproducing in the wild. Among the many rare birds reported by FeederWatchers, an orchard oriole in California drew crowds of dazzled onlookers. Other birds that wandered from normal winter homes included Western Tanagers in Florida and a Black-throated Blue Warbler in Oregon. These developments and many more are detailed in the new Project FeederWatch Year in Review, which all participants receive.

The plot is likely to thicken in other unexpected ways as the 2005–2006 season unfolds. People of all ages and skill levels are welcome to participate. The project begins in November, but you can join any time. To learn more about Project FeederWatch or to register, log onto www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw or call the Lab toll-free at (800) 843–2473. In Canada contact Bird Studies Canada at (888) 448–2473. In return for your $15 participation fee ($12 for Lab members, $35 for Canadian residents), participants receive the FeederWatcher’s Handbook, a colorful poster of the most common feeder birds, a calendar, complete instructions on how to file their reports, the FeederWatch Year in Review, and a subscription to the Lab’s newsletter, BirdScope. “Large-scale bird population studies would not be possible without our dedicated FeederWatchers,” says David Bonter. “By simply watching from their home, each observer broadens our window on the world.”

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds.