Detailed Instructions

Your FeederWatch count site should be an area that is convenient to observe, such as a backyard outside a kitchen or dining room window. Select an area as large as you can consistently observe from week to week. Your count site should include features you maintain that attract birds or mammals, such as feeders, a water feature, and/or plantings. We prefer that you select a count site that you can observe from one vantage point, but multiple vantage points are acceptable so long as you never add counts together (if you see a male cardinal out your front window and a female cardinal out your back window, you should only report one cardinal because that’s the most you saw from one vantage point at one time). Choose obvious boundaries, such as the border of your yard or an area within a courtyard. Most count sites are roughly the size of two tennis courts, but can be as small as a single feeder. Once you have chosen your site, count birds and mammals at this same site all season, if possible.

Visit the Feeding Birds page in the Learn section of this website for more information about how to create a count site that will be attractive to birds.

The count season

The FeederWatch season begins on November 1 and runs through the end of April. The last day to start a two-day count at the end of each season is April 29.

Two consecutive days

FeederWatch count days are two consecutive days when you count the birds and mammals at your feeders. Count days always come in pairs. Pick days that will maximize the time you have to count. Schedule your count days in advance, if possible. We recommend that you pick no more than one set of count days per week and leave at least five days when you do not count between your counts. Do not change your count days just because you see remarkable numbers or kinds of animals. Doing so would bias your data. If you are unable to count during a particular week, that’s okay. The more often you count, the more valuable your data becomes, but there is no minimum required number of counts, and your data are valuable even if you are only able to count on a few occasions.

Watch your feeders for as long as you can during your count days. However, you don’t need to get up early or watch continuously. Some people can only watch before and/or after work, for example. If you cannot count during both of your count days, try to count as long as possible on your one available day.

Be sure to keep track of how much time you spend observing your count site. For example, if you are in the kitchen working for an hour, and you can see the feeders out your kitchen window, you would only record the portion of that hour when you were actually looking at the feeders.

During each two-day count, you should keep a tally of the birds and mammals that visit your site. You can keep track by using the FeederWatch mobile app*, or you can keep track by using a paper Tally Sheet.

Please do not try to keep a live tally through the My Counts section of the FeederWatch website. Those data entry screens are designed for entering counts tallied on paper and will not save counts properly if you leave the page before clicking the Finish Count button. If you want to tally counts online, please use our mobile app.

To keep track of your counts on paper, use the links below to download one of our Tally Sheets. You can open the plain text version in a word processing document and type in the species that usually visit your yard before printing. Or you can print a PDF version and write in your most common species before photocopying it.

Plain Text Tally Sheet

PDF Tally Sheet

Correctly identifying the birds at your feeder is critical to the quality of the data you submit and to the success of Project FeederWatch. Since relatively few species of birds visit most feeders, these species can become very familiar to you with a little practice and careful observation. We encourage you to acquaint yourself with the birds in your area by studying the Common Feeder Birds Poster included in your first research kit. You can download a mini version of the poster for free.

If you cannot identify a bird, sketch or photograph the mystery bird and pay attention to its field marks before consulting a field guide. If you see the bird during a FeederWatch count, include notes about when you saw the bird and how many you saw so that you can add the observation to your count if you are able to identify the species later.

To identify a mystery bird, consult a current field guide, such as the Cornell Lab’s All About Birds online guide. For more information about identifying birds, visit Identifying Birds in the Learn section of this web site. For help with similar looking birds, such as finches, woodpeckers or accipiters, visit the Tricky Bird ID page. You can also use the Cornell Lab’s Merlin app for help identifying birds.

How to count

To ensure that FeederWatch data can be used for scientific research, every FeederWatcher must count in the exact same way. For Project FeederWatch you should count birds and mammals you see in your count site during the day that are attracted by something that you provide. Here’s how to conduct your two-day count:

• Keep a tally sheet and field guide handy.
• Each time you see a species within your count site during your count days, count the number of individuals in view simultaneously and record that number on your tally sheet. (For example, if the first time you look at your feeder you see one Northern Cardinal and two Blue Jays, record these numbers next to their names.)
• If later during your two-day count you see more individuals of a species in view simultaneously, revise your tally sheet to reflect the larger number. (For example, if later on you see two Northern Cardinals and three Blue Jays, change the number of Northern Cardinals on your tally sheet from one to two, and the number of Blue Jays from two to three.) Do not add your counts together; record only the largest number of individuals of each species in view simultaneously over the two-day count. By following this method you will never report an individual bird more than once.
• At the end of your two-day count, the largest number of individuals that you saw simultaneously becomes your final tally and the number for each species that you will report to FeederWatch. You will make one report for each two-day count.
• Record the date and how much time you spent observing your count site on your count days.
• Watch for eye disease in House Finches, Purple Finches, Evening Grosbeaks, and goldfinches, and keep track of how many of each species you see with eye disease at one time during each count.

Please count…

• all of the individuals that are in view simultaneously. For example, if two House Sparrows are on your feeder and six more are waiting their turn in a nearby bush, count all eight.
• birds or mammals that are attracted to your count site because of something you provided or the activity around your feeders even if they do not eat food or take a bath. For example, count birds like Brown Creepers and warblers that forage with feeder birds but don’t necessarily come to your feeders themselves.
• birds or mammals that are attracted to fruits or plantings that you maintain in your count site. Examples include Cedar Waxwings and American Robins.
• hawks, owls, and other predatory birds, such as roadrunners and shrikes, that are attracted by birds at your feeders, even if the predators are not successful in catching a meal.

But don’t count…

• birds that simply fly over your count site, such as Canada Geese or Sandhill Cranes.
• birds or mammals that you observe outside of your chosen count days. If you see a bird on a non-count day that you wish to tell us about, you may report the sighting in the comment space where you report your counts or on the Comment Form linked from the right side of the Data Entry home page.
• birds or mammals that you only hear.
• birds or mammals that you record with a camera only, that you don’t see yourself.

All Counts Are Important

FeederWatch participants often stop counting because they believe that their counts are not important. Typically they are seeing the same species every week, or they are seeing very few or no birds. While we are all thrilled by unusual sightings and high counts, it’s the everyday observations of common birds that are so important for monitoring bird populations. The only way scientists know when birds are missing is if the people seeing no or very few birds tell us. Learn more about why every count matters.

Remember if no birds visit your feeders, this information is important. If you see no birds, please select “I watched my feeders, but no birds were present” at the top of your count list when you submit your count.

For further information and tips on count procedures, please review Tricky Counts and Special Cases.

We are able to access extensive weather information from continental datasets and match it to your counts, so you don’t have to record weather information such as temperature, rainfall or wind. But snow depth is highly variable from one site to the next and can be important for interpreting patterns of feeder use. Please record the average depth of snow at your count site over the two-day count. If your count site contained snow drifts of various depths, or if you had snow on one of your count days but not the other, average the depth of snow cover over the two-day count.

In the mammals section of the count page, you have the option to report any mammals that you observe in your count site during your count that you think was attracted by something that you provide or the activity in your count site. The list is roughly divided by size with some mammals grouped together to keep the species list relatively short. You can report domesticated mammals like cats and dogs, and wild mammals ranging in size from mouse to moose. If you observe a type of mammal that is not on the list, you can write it into the “other” field at the bottom of the list. Mammals in groupings, such as squirrels, should be counted together as if they were one species. So if you see a red squirrel in the morning and a gray squirrel in the afternoon but never see the two squirrels at the same time during a two-day count, then you should report a count of one squirrel.

In the Sick Birds and Dead Birds sections, you can report symptoms of disease you see in birds and/or dead birds that you observe in your count site during one of your counts. For sick birds, you can select from a list symptoms such as red and swollen eyes, odd growths, lethargy, and more. For any dead birds reported, you can select from a list of potential causes, such as illness or predation, or you can select “unknown” if you are unsure what caused the death. In both sections, once you enter a count, species, and symptom or probable cause of death, the gray “Save” button will turn blue. Click on that button to submit your report. Then your report will display below the entry fields and the entry fields will clear, allowing you to make additional reports. If you see multiple symptoms or causes of death for the same species, enter separate reports for each symptom or cause of death. Never handle sick or dead birds with bare hands. Check out our FAQ page on what to do if you find a dead bird.

FeederWatch participants are invited to report two types of interactive behaviors they might observe between birds, a bird and a mammal, or mammals at their feeders: displacement and predation (defined below). If you observe either of the behaviors, note the species attempting to displace or depredate another bird or mammal and the species that was targeted. They could be the same species or different species. Also record whether or not the behavior was successful, e.g. did the Blue Jay successfully take a perch from a chickadee? Did the Cooper’s Hawk fail to catch the Mourning Dove? When reporting your interaction, be sure to click the “Save interaction” button to submit the report. The report will display below the submission fields, which will clear, allowing you to report additional interactions.

Displacement

Displacement is when one bird or mammal tries to take over a resource (usually food, but sometimes a perch) occupied by another bird or mammal. A displacement event is successful if the animal initiating the interaction dislodges the animal targeted by the interaction from a perch or feeder. The individual initiating the interaction needs to be purposefully attempting to take the perch of the targeted individual, rather than landing on a spot as the target individual was about to leave on its own accord. Displacement behavior does not include when a bird flies away to escape a predator or when a group of birds mob another bird. Sometimes large birds, such as Blue Jays or Red-bellied Woodpeckers, can arrive suddenly at a feeder and cause other birds to scatter. Or sometimes a flock of birds, such as Bushtits, can arrive and cause other birds to leave. Such instances are difficult to interpret so we ask that you only report clear examples of one individual attempting to displace another individual.

Predation

Predation events are when one bird or mammal attempts to capture or kill another bird or mammal. Predation events often happen quickly and can be difficult to see. If you are confident that the individual initiating the interaction killed the individual targeted by the interaction, then report the predation event as successful (it is successful from the predator’s perspective). When an event is unsuccessful, such as when a Cooper’s Hawk flies at a bird feeder and comes up empty, it may not be possible to identify the target individual. Only record observations where you are certain about the identity of both species.

A note about terms: The verbs “predate” and “depredate” are both used by biologists to mean “to prey upon.” As “predate” can also mean “to come before,” we use the verb “depredate” to describe the behavior seen in a predation event.”

Too many birds to count

It can be very difficult to count large or even small flocks of birds, especially when they keep moving around. To estimate the number of birds in a flock, use the “blocking” method. First count the birds in an imaginary block of typical density. Keep the block small, to include only 10 to 25 birds. Then visually superimpose the block onto the entire flock and estimate how many times it fits. Finally, multiply this number by the number of birds in the original block. To get the best estimate, repeat this procedure at various times throughout the day and average your results.

Mixed-species flocks

When large, mixed-species flocks appear in your yard, keeping track of the kinds and numbers of birds can be difficult. First, estimate the total flock size using the method above. For example, estimate a flock at 80 birds. Now, take several “samples” of those 80 birds, such as small groups that are easily visible under the feeder, and estimate the proportion of each species in each group. For example, a group of 10 birds might include 5 Dark-eyed Juncos, 4 American Tree Sparrows, and 1 White-throated Sparrow. If that group seems representative of the entire flock, apply your calculated proportion to the total of 80 birds, and estimate the total flock at 40 juncos (50% of flock), 32 Tree Sparrows (40% of flock), and 8 White-throated Sparrows (10% of flock).

Males and females observed at separate times

Some species are “sexually dimorphic,” that is, the male and female look different. An example is the Northern Cardinal. Some days, the male and female both may visit your feeder, but never appear at the same time. Obviously you have two different cardinals in your yard. Still, you should only count them as two individuals if you see them together at the same time. Why? Because for us to be able to compare population trends for all the species that visit your yard, we must count all those species in the same way. Even if some species have males and females that look different, and some have males and females that look similar, we should count them using the same method. For example, we wouldn’t want it to seem like there were twice as many cardinals as chickadees just because we can tell male and female cardinals apart. For FeederWatch data to be scientifically valid, participants must follow the exact same counting procedure for all species.

Black-capped and Carolina chickadees

These species are difficult to tell apart. Even knowing their songs and calls won’t help every time because they can learn each other’s vocalizations. If you live near the area where the ranges of these species overlap (see map at right) and are uncertain which species is at your feeders, please record your chickadees as “Black-capped Chickadee/Carolina Chickadee.”

Tag-along birds

When a mixed-species flock in your count site is joined by a species that is not typically seen at feeders, you may count the “tag-along bird” even if it doesn’t actually visit your feeder. (The bird was indirectly attracted to your feeder site.)

To help us learn more about birds, we need your data–even if you made just one count! If you are using our mobile app to tally your counts, you can submit them at the end of each two-day count right in the app. If you are tallying your counts on paper, go the Your Data section of our website and follow the onscreen instructions to create your count site on our map, if you haven’t counted for FeederWatch before, and to enter your counts. Once you enter your counts, be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Finish Count button to submit the counts you entered.

If you have not yet signed up, join now.

Why was I asked to confirm my count?

Have you had one of those banner FeederWatching days when a flock of Cedar Waxwings descends upon your yard? More than 100 waxwings are dripping from the trees and shrubs and frolicking in your birdbath. Or perhaps you found a lost bunting at your feeders in the middle of the winter when the bird should be in Central America? These are indeed exciting events and you may be eager to enter your count into the FeederWatch data entry system. As you type in your report, you receive a message on the screen that says, “This is a high count for this species. Please confirm.” Did you do something wrong? Probably not, but you have been introduced to the FeederWatch system designed to check and “flag” potential errors.

We have all made mistakes, either in identifying species or in hitting the wrong key when entering our counts. The data flagging system is designed to catch errors before they are permanently added to the FeederWatch data base.

A computer (called the review robot) automatically screens all counts. It compares your counts to a series of allowable species/maximum count combinations called “filters.” The filters are based on the counts submitted by past FeederWatchers in your area. Although a species or a high count may not be unusual in your yard, it may be unusual when compared with the reports of others in your area. Congratulations! You have experienced something that others in your area have not. When the review robot finds a count that exceeds the maximum set by the filters, it generates a confirmation message and “flags” the count for review.

Bird ranges are dynamic and the filters are designed to accommodate changes in bird distributions. For instance, as Eurasian Collared-Doves rapidly expanded their range across the country, FeederWatch staff were able to revise checklists to minimize the number of participants who were asked to confirm their Eurasian Collared-Dove reports.

Unusual experiences certainly occur at feeders all the time–these rare events keep many of us watching in anticipation of what may happen next. The flagging system is designed to help us recognize when a report is unusual for an area and to help ensure the accuracy of the FeederWatch data so that we may learn more about the birds that we all enjoy.

What happens if my report is flagged?

If the filter considers your count to be unusually high, you will be asked to confirm the entry. Did you intend to type 100, or should it have been 10? If the count is correct, simply click the “Confirm” box, and the data will go to the FeederWatch database at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. There is no need to do anything further, such as sending photos or correspondence explaining your count, unless a FeederWatch staff member contacts you.

If the filter considers the species you are reporting to be rare for your area, you will be asked to submit a photo or description of your sighting.

What happens to flagged reports?

After a record is flagged and confirmed, the record goes through a review system managed by FeederWatch staff at the Cornell Lab and Birds Canada. The experts often immediately recognize these flagged records as valid sightings and clear the flags. For the majority of flagged reports, that’s the end of the story. However, if you report a species or count that is rare for your area, you may receive a message from FeederWatch staff asking you to provide more details about your report. A photo is necessary to confirm extremely rare reports. Birds often show up in unusual places, and we are as excited as the participants about these rare sightings.