Mountain Bird Watch this spring

Peakbaggers can become bird watchers his spring, and contribute to science.

Bicknell's Thrush is a rare bird that lives in the Northeast mountains in the Spring/Summer and flies WAY South for the Winter.

The prosperity or decline of this species may be a leading indicator of the effects of climate change, especially in the Catskills, which is the Bird's southernmost habitat in the Northeast.

No real knowledge of birding is required to get started, they will teach you what you need to know.

My son and I participated in this study for a few years when he was a teenager. If you can get up early, takes notes, and listen and watch patiently, you can participate in this project.

For more information, visit http://www.vtecostudies.org/MBW/

This is a wonderful project. I adopted the Mt. Success route last year after West Royce was cancelled. The new protocol is even easier than it was a couple years ago.

vegematic said:

This The new protocol is even easier than it was a couple years ago.

Click to expand...

Good to know. I haven't done this since my daughter was born in 2009, but for some reason I thought it was harder. I may try to make a training this year.
Here is some info on that.

Dear Mountain Birdwatchers,

With the flurry of activity after my last email, several routes have
flown off the shelf- only 27 more routes need volunteers for a June
survey! In fact, the last two weeks have involved many exciting Mountain
Birdwatch developments. In particular, we have scheduled two training
workshops for this May! All volunteers, new and old, are encouraged to
attend a training workshop, especially if you were unable to attend a
2011 or 2012 workshop. These workshops document the history of Mountain
Birdwatch, discuss the importance of bird monitoring for conservation,
go through bird identification characteristics, clarify the point count
procedures, and culminate in a mock point count. Plus, these workshops
are a great way to meet other volunteers!

We also have a few upcoming Mountain Birdwatch presentations in Maine.
Save the dates, and we hope to see you at some of these events!
*
**Mountain Birdwatch talk by Mike Zimmermann*
Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 2 p.m.
Porter Memorial Library, 92 Court Street, Machias, ME
/Long-time volunteer Mike Zimmermann, who singlehandedly surveys five
intense routes in Maine each year, talks about Mountain Birdwatch and
his experiences with this citizen-science initiative./
*
**High-elevation Bird Monitoring in the Northeast- a talk by MBW
director Judith Scarl*
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 7 p.m.
McLaughlin Auditorium, Gould Academy, Bethel, ME
/Mountain Birdwatch director Judith Scarl discusses high-elevation bird
monitoring, Bicknell's Thrush, and //a decade of Mountain Birdwatch
success./

*Mountain Birdwatch Training Workshop*
Saturday, May 11, 2013, 10am to 1pm
Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, 1302 Main St., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
Join Mountain Birdwatch director Judith Scarl to meet other MBW
volunteers, learn about the MBW2 target species and protocols, and
practice your point count skills! Added bonus: Fairbanks has 9 out of
11 MBW target species on display... can you find them all?

*Mountain Birdwatch Training Workshop*
Sunday, May 19, 2013 from 10 am to 1 pm
McLane Audubon Center, NH Audubon, 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH 03301
Join Mountain Birdwatch director Judith Scarl to meet other MBW
volunteers, learn about the MBW2 target species and protocols, and
practice your point count skills! Added bonus: Hike the Center's trails
and do some birding before or after the workshop!

All the best,
Judith

This is such a fun project to be involved with, and the training sessions are so engaging! I used to do Mt. Wolf. Last year I did two routes (Rocky Branch and Isolation). This year I'm doing Downes Brook and E. Sleeper.