Photo: Joe Cox | Unsplash
Ecologists are getting some unexpected help in bird research from homeowners stuck at home during the lockdown. Emily Williams’ research project on the migration of American robins has received a boost from the observation points set up in the backyards of enthusiastic residents of Washington, D.C. Citizen scientists have been eager to share their observations and photographs on Cornell University’s bird watching smartphone app, eBird. The app recordings show that bird watching has gone up by 37% during the pandemic year and homeowners have discovered robins’ nests and recorded the movement of cardinals, blue jays, tufted titmice and much more. For time-challenged scientists who are frequently up by 4:30 am to record their observations, these shared sightings have enabled them to acquire a much more detailed knowledge about bird behavior and distribution.
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