Citizen Science Salon is a partnership between Discover magazine and SciStarter.org.
Every year around Christmas time, tens of thousands of volunteer birdwatchers gather in familiar locations across the Western Hemisphere for a tradition that dates back more than a century. On select days between December 14 and January 5, volunteers with the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count take a census of every bird they see as they walk specific routes, or even observe bird feeders, inside a designated 15-mile circle.
For many birders, it’s just good fun — a way to get outside and enjoy nature over the winter holiday.
“The reason it's been so successful is that it’s become a holiday tradition for so many people who do it every year,” says Geoffrey LeBaron, Christmas Bird Count director for the National Audubon Society.
The data provided by volunteers also supports some serious science. And in recent years, the ...
