Conservation and YOU!

There are numerous ways that birders of all skill levels can contribute to avian knowledge, no matter where you might live. This has only been enhanced by the Internet, which is now one of the most powerful communication tools imaginable. Most states in the continental U.S. have a listserve that you can join (all are free) where you can post your bird sightings. Those posts are gathered by the various states' Bird Records Committees and archived for research purposes. The American Birding Association has a web page that lists many, but not all, of the birding listserves available in the U.S. The chart below might also be of some help. It has links to the various State Bird Records Committees' websites.

Another excellent free tool is eBird from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. This is another computer-based system that allows you to track bird sightings around the country. Not only does the system track bird sightings from various locations, but it will allow you to keep your own personal lists by a variety of criteria. An added advantage to using eBird is that you can add field notes to your postings.

In addition to listserves, bird records committees, and eBird, there are numerous other software programs available that are able to document sightings. The problem with most of them, however, is that they are not yet compatible with systems like eBird and, therefore, cannot be integrated into this or other databases to be shared by the scientific community - at least not yet. It is only a matter of time before this happens. So if you have been documenting bird sightings on your own software, check back with the eBird folks every so often. It shouldn't be long before we can all speak in the same language.

And finally, many birders have interests in particular species or families of birds, such as American Kestrels, or thrushes. Amateur birders have contributed a great deal to the knowledge of certain birds, such as Henslow's Sparrows, Brown Creepers, and others. The rarer the bird, or the less that is known about a particular bird, the more important your copious notes will be. If you have compiled this information, many states have a quarterly newsletter that will publish your findings. BirdCountry.US welcomes research from amateur birders, especially research notes on particular behaviors or other aspects of a bird's life that are, as yet, unknown. If you are interested in publishing your research notes on this site, email us and give us the details. We may well be able to help you reach your goals.

If you are looking for a particular subject to study, check out our many link. Many of these organizations "specialize" in particular groups of birds. If you do not find what you are looking for, be sure to check back as these links will be updated periodically. If you have a particular species in mind, but don't know what research is needed, email us and we'll let you know the gaps in our knowledge - gaps that you can help fill.

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