Is your yard for the birds?
This fall, Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology will unveil YardMap, a citizen science project that asks participants to map their yards and green spaces to help researchers better understand where birds live.
The project provides a Google satellite image of your yard (or another green space of your choice), then lets you mark the locations of vegetation and other landscape features, such as compost bins and bird houses, on your online YardMap page. Pages can be shared and compared by researchers and participants. Learn how your yard stacks up to your neighbor’s when it comes to creating a host environment for birds and the plants, berries, and insects they eat.
ScienceforCitizens.net members are invited to test the beta version of YardMap. Sign up here if you are interested.
Here’s a slide show explaining more about this project: