Many other finches, like the Common Redpoll that typically stays in Canada year round, are being seen as far south as Virginia. The other key element in BirdSource is the North American Winter Finch Survey. CLO scientists developed the survey when winter finches were posted to bird listservs in more southerly locales in surprising numbers. The invasion has been even more phenomenal than we expected. The survey asks bird watchers to note the numbers of individuals, the date, and the state and zip code of the town or city where they had their winter finch sightings.
Animated maps are regularly updated to show how each species is moving south.
With a click of a mouse button, anyone can see an image of these rare northern wanderers, each of which is a dazzling combination of either pinks and browns or yellows and browns, and users can hear their chattery trills, rattles, and warbles. National Audubon's Frank Gill points out that the winter finch information that has come in to date is only a fraction of what's out there. If everyone who feeds and watches birds would contribute their sightings through BirdSource, the database would be tremendous. CLO and National Audubon invite anyone interested in birds to be part of what is shaping up to be a history-making event by signing up for Project FeederWatch. FeederWatchers also receive the quarterly newsletter, Birdscope, which highlights recent findings such as the winter finch invasion.