Citizen Science

What Is Citizen Science?

“Citizen Science is about learning, empowerment, building a constituency, as people count birds for conservation.  Audubon’s vision is to engage citizens in asking questions about their environment, and to help them gather information to answer questions that they and professional biologists are asking.  By being part of the process, it is our vision that a growing number of people will become empowered to take action on behalf of places important to them and important to wildlife, giving birth to a new culture of conservation.  Local citizens will conserve their own natural resources through Citizen Science engaged by Audubon’s people-focused conservation activities.”  National Audubon Society

Eastside Audubon Citizen Science Programs

• Birds in the Balance
• Bird Surveys
  
• Bird Survey Results
• Christmas Bird Count - December
  One-day event to count the total number of birds in eight designated circles in King County (part of National Audubon CBC)
• Important Bird Area (IBA) Monitoring
  
• Port Susan Bay - Contact Jim Rettig, jrettig@eastsideaudubon.org, for more information
• Monroe Swift Watch - September
  Counting Vaux's swifts in Monroe and other locations
• Project FeederWatch - How we tie together results of local winter bird survey.

National Audubon (and Partner Organizations) Citizen Science Programs

• Christmas Bird Count - December 14 - January 5
  Longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations
• eBird - Web-based checklist program that provides individuals with the means to contribute to a collective memory of the birds they see
• Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) - Four-day count held each President’s Day weekend
• Important Bird Areas (IBAs) Program
• IBAs in Washington State
• Port Susan Bay - pages 52 and 53 of report
• Cedar River Watershed - pages 26 and 27 of report (possible future project - no results yet)
• Survey results for all Washington IBAs
  
• Project FeederWatch - November through early April
  Winter survey of birds that visit feeders in backyards and other locations

Other Programs

• Chelan Ridge Raptor Migration Project - Sept through late October
  
• US Dept of the Interior, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
• North American Breeding Bird Survey
• North American Bird Banding Program