Christmas Bird Count. The first bird count took place on Christmas Day in 1900 by ornithologist Frank Chapman, a founding member of the National Audubon Society. Chapman intended to provide an holiday alternative to the traditional “Side Hunt” where men (and women) would go afield with their guns to see who could shoot the largest number of birds and game. Little did he know how over the next century his small stand for conservation would grow into a nationwide birding tradition and one of the most informative sources of winter bird population trends.

The count takes place within registered Count Circles each December. Contact your local Audubon Chapter for information on where and when the next CBC in your neighborhood will take place.

Project Feederwatch. Begun in 1987, Feederwatch is a winter feeder bird monitoring project that can be done by virtually anyone with at least one bird feeder. You select your count days (up to once every week) and then count the birds that visit your feeder. Data are submitted to Cornell Lab of Ornithology for analysis. Over 16,000 people in U.S. and Canada participate in FeederWatch each winter. The data are useful for describing the winter population patters of winter birds and complement Christmas Bird Counts.

In Ohio, about 200 birders of all skill levels submit their feeder data to FeederWatch. You can view data summaries for Ohio feeder birds on the project’s website.

Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). The BBS is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and the Canadian Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Research Centre to monitor the status and trends of North American breeding bird populations. BBS data are collected by thousands of dedicated participants along thousands of randomly established roadside routes throughout the continent. Professional BBS coordinators and data managers work closely with researchers and statisticians to compile and deliver these population data and population trend analyses on more than 400 bird species, for use by conservation managers, scientists, and the general public. Over 2,500 highly skilled amateur birders participate in the survey each year, and more are welcome. See website for details on the skills and training required for the project.

The Birdhouse Network (TBN). Managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Birdhouse Network aims to collect data on the breeding success of species that use artificial nest boxes, such as bluebirds, swallows, purple martins, titmice, and a host of other cavity- nesting species. Nationwide, more than 1,000 people collect data from as little as one nest box to as many as 100 boxes on established “bluebird trails.” Participants monitor the activity at each of their nestboxes during the breeding season and submit their observations to Cornell.

The eBird Project. This project is good for people who like to record their bird sightings when and where they make them, and not be constrained to any season or species group. Known as the “any bird, any place, any time” project, it allows you to enter data into a database (located at Cornell Lab of Ornithology) and then view summaries of your (and other birders’) data. It is an online alternative to birding software that is entirely free. eBird is particularly useful for helping ornithologists track the migratory pathways of songbirds and other species.