The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that a workshop is being offered at the Kellogg Environmental Center to educate the public on how to participate in a winter long bird research project.
The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, November 20 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., and will introduce participants to Project FeederWatch, a nationwide volunteer research effort that monitors the distribution and populations of winter bird species such as house finches, goldfinches, downy woodpeckers and black-capped chickadees across the country.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed the Project, now in its 23rd year. Participants monitor and count the number of birds that are using their bird feeders during pre-selected days between November and March each year. The data is carefully recorded and entered online to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology for compilation, analysis and publication.
This activity is well suited for students, teachers, backyard birders, people that already feed birds in their yards, and those who have an interest in birds or enjoy watching wildlife. Workshop participants will be invited to sign-up with Cornell and begin Project FeederWatch in their own backyard or to help with Kellogg Environmental Center’s FeederWatch project for two or more days of monitoring at the Center’s established feeding station. Handouts and refreshments will be available.
All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by adults. The program is free to the public. Pre-registration is requested. For more information and to register, please call the Kellogg Environmental Center at (203) 734‑2513. The Kellogg Center, a facility of the Department of Environmental Protection located at 500 Hawthorne Avenue, Derby, CT, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
