The user can correct the mistakes before the data are entered. And if the user really meant to report an 'unlikely' species, we are automatically alerted to a possible rare bird sighting anywhere in North America. The other key element in BirdSource is the North American Winter Finch Survey. The invasion has been even more phenomenal than we expected. The North American Winter Finch Survey asks bird-watchers to note the numbers of individuals, the date and postal ZIP code where their winter finch sightings occurred.
Animated maps are regularly updated to show how each species is moving south.
National Audubon's Frank Gill points out that the winter finch information received so far is only a fraction of what is out there. FeederWatchers also receive the quarterly newsletter Birdscope, which highlights recent findings such as the winter finch invasion. FeederWatchers can get a password and can contribute their data online through BirdSource. Any sightings of winter finches can be contributed directly to the North American Winter Finch Survey without joining or paying a fee. BirdSource scientists currently are working to expand the technology to include all of CLO's citizen-science projects as well as Audubon programs, such as the annual Christmas Bird Count.