Meet the Staff

Who are the people behind FeederWatch?

Participants across North America are at the core of Project FeederWatch. But besides the army of people collecting information on birds at their feeders, several people in the United States and Canada are responsible for archiving and analyzing the data and the day-to-day operation of the project. Project FeederWatch is administered in the United States by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and in Canada by Birds Canada.

Olivia Sanderfoot, Project Leader: Olivia joined Project FeederWatch in 2025. She manages all aspects of the project including reviewing flagged records, analyzing data, and writing scientific journal articles.

Heidi Faulkner, Anne Marie Johnson, and Yuka Wu, Project Assistants, U.S.: Heidi, Anne Marie, and Yuka help keep FeederWatch running smoothly. They write and edit printed materials, web pages, and eNews messages; answer email, phone calls, and letters; and much more.

Olivia Carvalho, Community Engagement Specialist, Birds Canada: Olivia joined Project FeederWatch at Birds Canada in the summer of 2024. She supervises all aspects of the project in Canada, including corresponding with participants, reviewing flagged records, writing FeederWatch reports, as well as moderating the FeederWatch Canada Facebook group.

Tracy Barber, Karla Falk, Kris Dobney, and Rosie Kirton, Project Assistants, Canada: Tracy, Karla, Kris, and Rosie provide participant support, mail out FeederWatch kits, inventory materials, answer calls from supporters, and more.

Volunteers: The successful operation of FeederWatch is dependent upon the generous help of volunteers who help us in a variety of ways. We are deeply indebted to the service our volunteers provide.

Additional Staff Support

The scientific and educational aspects of FeederWatch are overseen in the U.S. by the directors of the center for Engagement in Science and Nature, David Bonter and Mya Thompson.

We are grateful to Wesley Hochachka for the tremendous scientific support he provides.

The FeederWatch database is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the website, online data entry, and mobile application are developed by the Cornell Lab’s Engagement Tech team.

The colorful and informative materials you may see have been written by project staff, but the Communications team at the Cornell Lab often edit and design the materials before they hit the press. They also distribute press releases and help to promote the project.

FeederWatch is truly a team effort. Many thanks to those who are involved every step of the way!