Proposal Spring 19 Student Feeder Watch

Sponsored Research Newsletter

The Proposal

Project Feeder Watchbird

Lydia Cort ’21, Catherine Curley ’20, Rachel Renders ’19, Amanda Beechinor ’19
Faculty Sponsor: Barbara Welker: Anthropology
WHAT IS YOUR PROJECT? We are monitoring bird species that overwinter in upstate New York, particularly on the Geneseo campus. We have eight feeders set up across two locations. Project FeederWatch is a winter-long (November-April) survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Our bird counts help us to keep track of what is happening around campus and help scientists track long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.
HOW IS YOUR PROJECT FUNDED? An Undergraduate Research Grant and the Office of Sustainability.  
WHAT DID YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM THIS PROJECT? We hoped to gain a better understanding of the diversity of birds on the SUNY Geneseo campus, understanding their behaviors and feeding habits to be able to collect census data for the project.  All of the data collected will be put into Cornell’s Ornithology database. Monitoring bird species helps to monitor the health of ecosystems in the area as well.
 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WORKING AS A GROUP?
The four of us come from different backgrounds but we are brought together by one common interest, the environment and the sustainability of the environment. We bring our own strengths to the project. We are able to complete tasks in a very timely manner since we are able to divide tasks between the four of us and we are in constant communication with one another. Working as a group has helped us strengthen our communication skills and manage our time in respect to other members’ schedules—all skills we will need moving into the working world.
HOW HAS WORKING ON THIS PROJECT IMPACTED YOUR LONG TERM PLANS? It has provided all of us, I believe, with a new and interesting hobby as well as providing us all with new skills that we can take with us after graduation into the workforce. It is possible to be a part of Project FeederWatch even after we leave Geneseo, and I think all of us will take this hobby with us into the future.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER STUDENTS WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN WORKING ON A RESEARCH PROJECT? I would recommend that they keep an open mind when it comes to any research project. Things may not go as originally planned or expected, but that’s okay.