Bird Education Network – particularly the “Additional Resources” page – quite unique
The Peregrine Fund – non-profit dedicated to saving birds of prey from extinction
Audubon Hummingbirds @ Home
This is an app that is available on Android and the App Store. It allows individuals to report hummingbird sightings so data can be used by Audubon researchers. It also provides sighting maps based on species and date ranges. The zoom to see local reports can be slow, but presumably because it is still new.
Christmas Bird Count
The CBC starts on Dec 14th and runs through Monday, Jan 5th (the same dates every year.) This event started out as a hunting contest, but with the decline of populations and the advent of real conservation efforts, it easily translated into an event of counting bird species. Since it is the longest running citizen science program, the value lies in the years of data and less in a one-time count. Long-term data is able to reveal trends that short-term counts could never encompass. Important efforts and information are gained from this particular count. Many local parks provide a one-day event in order to involve families.
Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)
This project teams Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society together. It allows those that submit observations to see what others are submitting around the world. This Count is great for anyone to do from home with as little as a fifteen-minute observation. Great for kids to break into the world of detailing the birds in their own backyard. It is free, but it does require an account to be created to keep track of your birds. This is the same program used for eBird.
This is a nationwide monitoring program designed to track status and trends in reproductive biology of birds, including when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch and how many hatchlings survive. Anyone can contribute, so it is great for the whole family. Volunteers become a certified NestWatcher by following directions on the website. Once a nest is found, visit every 3-4 days and record what you see. This data helps scientists track breeding bird populations and how they may be changing as a result of climate change, habitat degradation and more.
This is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. This data helps scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Anyone can participate. Fee is $15 (the project is supported entirely on these fees.)
This is a new citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Sign up for the free online project. Participants zoom in on satellite images to construct maps of their yards, local parks, workplaces or any other green space they know well. Mark the maps to show areas of lawn, buildings, native plants and feeders. Scientists and participants will learn how the spaces connect to form larger landscapes. It will also teach participants how to improve their habitats, even with small changes, and how those changes can impact their green space and wildlife.
eBird is the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen science project, with more than 100 million bird sightings contributed each year by eBirders around the world. A collaborative enterprise with hundreds of partner organizations, thousands of regional experts, and hundreds of thousands of users, eBird is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
eBird – For all levels of birders that want to make bird sightings count for science. A staple for keeping your own list.
Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas – Submit breeding bird observations for conservation efforts.
Mobile Field Guide Apps – Mobile phone Field Guide Applications with photos and sound.
Ultimate Buying Guide for Binoculars – Guide to understanding Binoculars and choices available
Excellent Blogs about Ohio Nature and Birds in General
Professional Bird Photographers
A Birder’s Guide to Everything – A group of teenagers go in search of an extinct duck in a coming-of-age story.
Midway – A beautiful, heartbreaking film on the effect plastic has had on the Albatross, home to an atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
The Big Year – A 2011 comedy based on the birding adventures of Ohio’s own, Greg Miller.