SCOTT SHALAWAY Project FeederWatch targets West Nile virus

West Nile virus continues to make headlines. As of Oct. 8, the U.S. human case count stood at 2,768, and the disease had claimed 146 American lives. Understandably, the focus of WNV news reports has been its impact on people.
WNV, however, is primarily a bird disease. According to the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, more than 110 North American bird species, plus dogs, cats, horses, bats, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, skunks, and a variety of captive birds in zoos have tested positive for the virus. It has proven 100 percent fatal for crows, and mortality among hawks and owls has been alarmingly high. Nature centers, zoos, falconers, and wildlife rehabilitation facilities have lost scores of raptors this year.
The ultimate impact of WNV on wild birds remains uncertain.
Biologists won't know until next year its effect on many common species. In the meantime, backyard birders can help by participating in Project FeederWatch, a popular citizen science project sponsored by Cornell University's Laboratory of Ornithology.
Started in 1987
Since 1987, the Cornell Lab has been conducting Project FeederWatch, a winter bird survey that invites birders of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds to count the numbers and kinds of birds that visit their feeders from November through early April. Lab researchers then analyze the data to determine changes in population distribution and abundance of some 100 species that regularly visit feeders.
"Because Project FeederWatch has more than 15 years of data, we have a strong baseline to determine population changes in recent years that may be attributable to West Nile virus," says David Bonter, project leader for Project FeederWatch. "But to be able to make an accurate assessment, we need as many people as possible to tell us which bird species they're seeing at t heir feeders and in what numbers."
By joining Project FeederWatch, backyard birders can help determine if WNV is having an impact on their favorite backyard birds. And remember, the virus is transmitted to birds and people by mosquitoes. There is no risk associated with feeding backyard birds. And as soon as we experience a hard frost, mosquitoes will cease breeding.
FeederWatch data have already contributed to important breakthroughs in scientists' understanding of bird diseases. In recent years, FeederWatchers have helped track the spread of mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, or "house finch eye disease."
This condition primarily affects house finches; symptoms include swollen crusty eyes that lead to blindness and death by starvation or predation. Results of the study were published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Cornell Lab researchers continue to rely on project participants to help them understand the dynamics of this disease and why it persists.
Project FeederWatch is an annual, continental survey of the birds that visit backyard feeders. By recording the birds that visit their feeders just twice a month, an army of dedicated birdwatchers helps Cornell ornithologists keep track of population trends of the birds that visit backyard feeding stations. Last year more than 17,000 backyard birders participated.
Since I first wrote about Project FeederWatch in 1993, many readers have signed up, and based on their letters and phone calls, most enjoy it immensely. It forces them to set aside a few hours each month to enjoy their backyard birds.
Common interest
Many parents and grandparents add that it's a great way to spend time with the kids and cultivate a common interest. And teachers should inquire about Classroom BirdWatch. Each of these projects is great for introducing science to children and giving them a chance to collect meaningful data. Perhaps the next generation of biologists will credit Project FeederWatch with whetting its appetite for science in general and birds in particular.
To participate in Project FeederWatch, send a check for $15 to cover administrative costs and a subscription to a quarterly newsletter to Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Dept. TWS, P.O. Box 10, Ithaca, NY 14851 or call (800) 843-2473. Or visit the FeederWatch web site at www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw for more information.
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