Participate in Focus on Feeders 2013

Photo by Chris Steel

Whether you’re a novice or an experienced birder, participating in Focus on Feeders is easy—and fun!

Step 1: Save the Date: February 2 and 3.
That's the weekend to make your bird observations. There's no minimum amount of time you're required to devote your feeder watching. We want as many people as possible to participate!

Ask your friends and neighbors to join the fun—the names of all those who report their observations will be entered into a drawing to win one of several prizes, including Mass Audubon baseball caps and more!

Step 2: On February 2 and 3, watch for birds in your yard and at your feeder.
Although we call it Focus on Feeders, we want to know about all the birds you see in your yard from black-capped chickadees to red-tailed hawks. You can download and print out our Focus on Feeders report form containing a list of the most commonly-seen feeder birds.

Step 3: For each bird species observed, keep track of the highest number you see at one time.
For most birds, it's hard to know whether you've seen the same individual bird once, or twice, or two completely different birds. Accordingly, we only want you to count the maximum number of each species that you see at any one time—you should only report one total for each species of bird you see. Some birds tend to wait in a nearby tree or bush for their turn at your feeder. Try to include them in your count, too.

Photo by Susumu Kishihara

Need help identifying birds?

• Take a look at some of the common winter birds in our area.
• Learn how to differentiate between some of the most easily-confused winter birds.
• Every winter season is different, and the birds at your feeder often reflect these differences. What to look for in bird populations this winter.
• Our comprehensive State of the Birds report includes images and information about the status of every bird seen in Massachusetts, listed by common name.

Step 4: Enter your bird counts online, or mail in our downloadable form.

If you prefer, you can download our report form (pdf), fill it out, and mail it back to us at the address on the form.

We need to have all of the results by February 28th, so we can tally the data in a timely fashion.

Take any great photos? Be sure to enter them in the 2013 Mass Audubon Picture This photo contest. Please remember that this photo contest, will not begin until April 2013.

We will be awarding prizes to randomly-selected participants, so don't forget to get us your results by February 28th!