Citizen Scientists Needed for Rosy-Finch feeder surveys
By Amy Seaman, Montana Audubon
Do you feed birds during the cold winter months, or know of a friend or family member who does? If so, we at Montana Audubon encourage you to join us and contribute to a large Rosy-Finch study spanning at least eight western states!
This coming winter, Montana Audubon is once again partnering with Utah’s Sageland Collaborative on the multi-state Rosy-Finch Project in an effort to better understand Rosy-Finches’ population status, distribution, survival rates, demography, and migratory tendencies, all of which are poorly understood. Rosy-Finches breed around cliffs and snowfields in our highest elevations, and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
That is why Montana Audubon and the Sageland Collaborative are members of the Rosy-Finch Working Group, which was created in order to foster collaboration among Rosy-Finch researchers, managers, and other interested parties, with the ultimate goal of developing conservation strategies for Rosy-Finches and their habitat. Before devising effective conservation strategies for these remarkable, hardy little birds, we first need to better understand their life-history, population status, and distribution.
This is where you come in!
While population studies of Rosy-Finches in their remote, difficult-to-access summer breeding habitat are extremely challenging, these birds move to lower elevations when the snow flies, and regularly visit bird feeders in many parts of western and central Montana. We are looking for birdwatchers who are interested in helping with our Rosy-Finch conservation efforts by doing as little as watching their—or a friend’s—feeder for 20 minutes, only once a month, from December to April, and reporting their observations. Even if you rarely or never see Rosy-Finches at your feeder, your contribution will be valued!
While time commitment for this important project is fairly minimal, we are asking interested individuals to review an hour-long training webinar that is recorded at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVHZJjwn6Kw
For more information and to get started, contact our Avian Specialist Bo Crees at bcrees@mtaudubon.org or Volunteer Coordinator Cassidy Dinkel at cassidy@mtaudubon.org. We hope to hear from you soon!
