With shorter daylight hours, winter is often portrayed as cozy and warm as people enjoy a cup of hot chocolate, sit around the fireplace, and snuggle under a blanket. Some people also envision cold weather as exciting as they engage in building snowmen, ice skating, skiing, and snowball fights. Even though the human body works harder to stay warm during winter, the increased endorphin production is linked to improved mood and greater concentration.

Fate of Birds in Winter

Unfortunately, the fine-feathered friends find the winter months a bit more challenging. The energy needed to maintain their body temperature increases significantly during winter. This forces many birds to burn more calories to stay warm. Shorter daylight hours for foraging and limited food supplies make it difficult for birds to find proper nourishment in winter. As a result, one-third of the United States bird population might not survive until spring.

What can you do?

Students setting up a bird feeder at Union Springs Elementary School in Bullock County.

You can help by filling up your backyard feeders or getting a feeder and joining Project FeederWatch.

Established in 1987, Project FeederWatch is a winter-long bird survey that monitors bird populations visiting local feeders at schools, backyards, or other locations in Canada and North America. From November to April, FeederWatchers of all skill levels and backgrounds, including birding clubs, families, nature centers, retired persons, and school-aged children, periodically count the birds they see at their feeders and send their counts to Project FeederWatch.

FeederWatch data is used by scientists to do the following things:

• Understand changes in winter ranges
• Understand how disease spreads among birds that visit feeders
• Track long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance
• Track widespread movements of winter bird populations
• Understand the timing and extent of winter irruptions of species
• Discover what kinds of food and environmental factors attract birds

This information is also collected to determine bird factors relating to climate and habitat changes.

Project FeederWatch permits the average person to increase their awareness of bird species and their behaviors while actively participating in scientific research by observing birds at their feeders.