Billions of birds are flying south for the annual fall migration, including 4.7 billion leaving the U.S. alone, bound for Mexico, Central and South America. Sadly, over the past 50 years, North American bird populations dropped by nearly 3 billion, due to habitat loss, climate change, and massive development along their flight paths. An estimated one billion deaths per year are due to building collisions, with light pollution being an amplifying factor.
We (scientists, conservationists, media and the public) know this because of volunteers, citizen scientists like you, who shared their local observations using free apps and online data forms!
Here’s YOUR chance to get involved. Below, we feature projects and events in need of your help.
And if you can choose only one day to participate, try Global Big Day on October 12th! You’ll contribute to a massive database of bird migratory patterns and populations, which is especially useful for researchers working to monitor and protect migratory species.
Projects you can do to help scientists track migratory birds:
Partly Ducky w/Gusts of Geese
Is there a fast-moving front of wood ducks, snow geese and widely scattered warblers in your forecast tonight? Find out with BirdCast, the website and app that predicts what migratory birds will be flying overhead in your area. You can see current conditions and future forecasts to help plan your birding adventures.
See Bird? eBird!
Use eBird to record and report your bird observations during the fall migration! Your reports will be combined with those of an international network of eBird users. eBird then shares these observations with a global community of educators, land managers, ornithologists, and conservation biologists. Your observations are especially important during the fall migration, when birds face numerous risks that can threaten populations.
Who’s Calling?
Identify birds sight unseen with the Merlin app! Not only does it listen for bird songs and calls and compare them to those in the extensive Cornell Lab’s McCauley Library, but it also uses your location to calculate the most likely bird match. Merlin is already incredibly accurate, and thanks to AI, it’s getting better and better.
It’s a Shore Thing!
You don’t have to live near the ocean to contribute to International Shore Bird Survey; it’s for everyone in the Western Hemisphere. Shorebirds migrate over much of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, as well as Central and South America. Use the eBird website or app and select ISS from the drop-down menu.
Monitor and Reduce Light Pollution
Artificial light distracts and disorients birds as they migrate south each fall (and also contributes to sleep disorders in people). Light pollution also causes sleep disorders in people, and disrupts the sleeping, breeding and migration habits of animals, especially birds. Join Globe at Night to learn how to measure night sky brightness and help create a light pollution map worldwide. Tip: consider turning off your outside lighting between mid-August and early November to reduce bird mortality during migrations.
Report Bird Collisions
Nearly a billion birds die from collisions with windows each year, many during the fall migration. Use dBird to report bird collisions in your area to help researchers monitor this important cause of bird mortality.
View then Do!
Shorebirds fly thousands of miles each year along ancient and largely unknown migratory routes called flyways. But their populations are crashing amidst climate change and urban development. Watch the inspiring short film Flyways to learn more about this extraordinary migration then participate in citizen science efforts to document and protect migratory birds. You’ll also find a list of libraries hosting watch parties and leading bird conservation activities.
Upcoming Free SciStarter LIVE Events on Zoom
October 1st – Bat Count! Bat Cam Emergence Count. Register
October 8th – Wrangling the Cosmos: Help Decode Galaxy Light with Redshift Wrangler. Register
October 15th – Decipher the mysteries of vision with Eyewire. Register
October 22nd – Jumpstart Planning for Citizen Science Month 2025 for Libraries. SPECIAL REGISTRATION
Check out our Printable and Interactive Calendar
Be a Citizen Science Ambassador!
As a Volunteer Ambassador for Citizen Science, you’ll help introduce the basics of citizen science to libraries and other community hubs. Free trainings, professionally designed materials and more will help you become a champion, connector and facilitator.
Applications for the second cohort are open now through November 1.
