Since its launch in 1998, the Great Backyard Bird Count, a partnership project with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, has engaged more than 100,000 people of all ages and skill levels throughout the United States and Canada. It combines high-tech web tools with Citizen Science observations of birds at feeders, parks, schoolyards and other areas, to help track and monitor changes in bird distribution and abundance. The program includes special educational materials for families, kids, and educators. Last year, participants submitted over 67,000 checklists with reports on over 400 species of birds. In 2001, the Great Backyard Bird Count will debut in Latin America, significantly expanding the benefits of the count.
Migratory birds face an increasing number of life-threatening challenges.
These include perils like pesticide use, impact with communications towers, disorientation from brightly lit buildings, and predation by household pets. This year BirdCast, a project of Audubon, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Clemson University Radar Ornithology Lab, and the Academy of Natural Sciences, took an enormous step toward ensuring that as many birds as possible complete their journeys safely. These measures include curtailing pesticide use, minimizing unnecessary lighting, and keeping cats inside during peak migratory periods. The event generated local and national press and triggered requests from people across the country asking for BirdCast in their communities. Originally focused on the Mid-Atlantic states, BirdCast now tracks migration through New York and southern New England as well.