Citizen Science Projects:

eBird: A real-time, online checklist program which provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.

Project Feederwatch: A winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. 

Great Backyard Bird Count:  The first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time. A four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds.
Christmas Bird Count: Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this long-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action.

Jay Watch: Volunteers conduct scientific surveys that measure annual nesting success and count the total number of Florida Scrub-Jays at more than 50 sites in 19 counties.
Nightjar Surveys: Easy to perform and will not take more than two hours to complete. Volunteers conduct roadside counts on scheduled bright moonlit nights, by driving and stopping at 10 points along a predetermined 9-mile route. At each point, the observer counts all Nightjars seen or heard during a 6-minute period.
ID Birds by Uploading a Photo!

For Beginning Bird Watchers:

Quick Reference Guides:

Information on Banded Birds:

To report a sighting of a bird with a Federal Band or Color Marker, and receive information about the bird, visit the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Bird Banding Laboratory website. Please share you sighting, and any information you receive on Our Facebook Page!


Another option, for shorebirds only, is bandedbirds.org. This is a great site that will give you data on your sightings instantly, and even keep track of them on an interactive map for you!

Research & Conservation:

Your observations of species studied by the Avian Research and Conservation Institute can directly help in their research. Such information might reveal important nesting, foraging or roosting areas to help monitor distribution and population trends. Report Sightings Of:
  • Swallow-tailed Kite:  Nest and roost locations; March through September
  • Short-tailed Hawk:  All sightings; Year round
  • Snail Kite:  Nest and roost locations, repeated observations; Year round
  • Great White Heron:  All sightings; Year round
  • Reddish Egret:  All sightings; Year round
  • Southeastern American Kestrel:  Evidence of nesting; May through July
  • Crested Caracara:  All sightings; Year round