Everyone knows how fun a Christmas Bird Count can be. Counting birds on a crisp winter day. Breathing in the fresh clean Canadian air beneath a sky so blue it blinds you yet you can't take your eyes off of it. Spending the day with family and friends or making new acquaintances. The thrill of the chase. Victory can be achieved in many ways, discovery of a rare species, observation of a species that should not be here in the winter, a large group where there should only be a few, or just a close look at one of your favorites. Yet defeat is not agony, a sport where failure to achieve victory still leaves you smiling.
Everyone also knows of the value of the Christmas Bird Count. The 111 years of data making it the oldest and most complete citizen science dataset in the world. The scientific publications, the conservation initiatives, the population monitoring are all well described. How the data is used in policy making, watching for population changes due to global warming or the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It is common knowledge that the data gathered by CBC volunteers led to a report to Congress on Common Birds in Decline and helped the Watch List 2007. The data has been used to document range expansions and provide test data to formulate scientific questions that can be tested by more rigorous methodology. However, what not everyone knows (mainly me) was eloquently penned in one of the most prestigious scientific journals. The following letter to the editor of the journal Nature identified a use for the Christmas Bird Count that I had never considered. The CBC as a model for citizen science projects all over the globe is helping scientific projects in everything from astronomy to zoology. Due to the relative ease of recruiting, enlisting, and managing thousands of volunteers via the internet, scientists in many different disciplines are using the CBC as a model to implement their own research methods. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v457/n7225/pdf/457008a.pdf In 24 days, the 2010 Christmas Bird Count officially begins. It is a chance for you to have some fun, get out of the house, contribute to the science of ornithology, help drive conservation initiatives, and set an example for the advancement of knowledge in all areas of science. To help, contact your local Audubon Chapter, the MOU CBC Coordinator, Carl Greiner at (507) 271-8286, or visit the MOU CBC website at http://www.moumn.org/CBC/ for more information or to sign up. Carl Greiner Audubon Society Minnesota Regional CBC Editor M.O.U CBC Coordinator 1616 Hill St. S.W. Chatfield, MN. 55923 507-271-8286 [email protected] <blocked::mailto:[email protected]> ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
