We wouldn’t consider ourselves bird watchers. Elaine, who occasionally visited the Everglades when she lived in Miami, recognizes a purple gallinule when she sees one. Alan can distinguish a red-tailed hawk from a sharp-shinned hawk, which as a child was dragged to the southern shore of Lake Ontario each spring to watch birds of prey migrate north. But such qualities alone do not make a birdwatcher.
We consider ourselves lovers of birds and science. So in May, we began inviting Times readers from around the world to share observations about the birds in their area. The Times has a long history of engaging its readers, but to our knowledge this was (probably) the first participatory citizen science project.
We had been looking for the right time to start such a project for years. Scientists are eager to engage with the public, and each reader’s observations contribute to a better understanding in a particular area of research. We wanted an activity that would help readers see the effects of climate change in their neighborhood, and we wanted readers’ contributions to contribute to a collective effort that could bring people together, albeit virtually.
Birds seemed like the right subject for engagement. They exist almost everywhere. They are dinosaurs with feathers. They are pollinators, pest controllers and seed carriers. They connect distant ecosystems and they connect the birders who observe them. Many species are threatened by climate change, pollution and habitat loss.
And while birds are widely studied, there is much more to learn about them. We knew Times readers could help by birding and sharing what they saw. The collection of bird data usually becomes somewhat quieter in the summer, after the spring migration. A summer birding project seemed like a fun way to introduce beginners to the joys of birdwatching as well as a community of more experienced birders.
So, with the help of scientists at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, we’ll soon start sending out weekly prompts, with activities — an invitation to try and identify birds by their call, for example — and guidance on collecting of bird data during the summer. (You can sign up here.)
The information readers collect is added to Cornell’s open access database. The Times, in turn, will provide readers with updates on scientific insights; host free events, including a June 22 talk with authors Amy Tan and Christian Cooper about the joys and benefits of birdwatching; and reporting birds in the news, such as the majestic vanishing kestrel Catrin Einhorn wrote about this month.
Before embarking on this project, we knew that passionate birdwatching communities existed. Camille Baker, a news assistant on the events team who recently wrote an article about the increasing numbers of black vultures in New York City, is an avid birdwatcher who takes outings with like-minded viewers in the city and beyond. The number of existing and newer organizations dedicated to birding and conservation gave us hope that the project would catch on.
So far, readers have been raving about our Summer of Birds and several sections of The Times have gotten involved, including Climate, Metro, and NewsMadura for Kids. But for us, one of the most enjoyable parts of this job has been discovering how many of our Times colleagues are bird enthusiasts. As it turns out, there’s a very active #birding channel on the company’s Slack platform, where people from all over The Times report their bird sightings.
A few weeks ago, Matt Kaiser, from The Times branding team, shared a small personal victory on the Slack channel: “After 19 failed attempts, in four states over three years, I finally got a good look at my nemesis. , the variegated warbler!” Others have posted photos of birds they’ve had the pleasure of seeing: pelicans, wrens, herons; a barred owl, a white ibis, a shoveler, a Townsend’s solitaire; and even Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo and could be viewed (with great difficulty) in the park as a whole.
The canal is like its own bird feeder, with everyone flocking to share photos, stories of sightings and just to enjoy each other’s company. Birds have that effect – and we want to share that feeling with readers.
