Focus on Feeders

See the most recent feeder watching data

Eastern Bluebird. Photo by Cheryl Rose.

Bird feeding has become an extremely popular winter activity in our region. It's estimated that 40% of the residents of New England feed and closely watch wildlife.

Mass Audubon and its partners have enlisted enthusiastic feeder watchers of all ages to track trends in abundance of winter feeder bird species for more than 40 years.

Observations from the bird watching public contribute to a growing database that can provide early warning signs on changes in abundance of bird species that visit feeders.

For example, feeder watching in Massachusetts has helped document the decline of House Finch as a result of conjunctivitis, and the northward expansion of Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, and Carolina Wren in response to warmer winters.

And, it's fun! We especially appreciate reading the many comments submitted by participants as they can help us interpret results (e.g., "Feeder birds down this year" or "where are all my redpolls?"). The wildlife photos that are often sent in with Focus on Feeders observations are great, too!

Learn more about the history of feeder watching in Massachusetts, see past results, or view results for Focus on Feeders 2009.

Thank you for your participation. To learn more please email focusonfeeders@massaudubon.org.