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The Weekly Bird Word

01/12/26

This week’s Bird Word:
Citizen Science

When ordinary citizens help the scientific community by gathering data to support a larger research goal, that’s citizen science! Participation in bird counts and surveys or reporting bird sightings on platforms like iNaturalist and eBird allows scientists to gather information in an extremely broad way, making massive projects like tracking global bird populations possible.

Turn your birding into citizen science by participating in a count or recording your sighting on eBird. Photo: Laura McDonald

More in local bird and nature news:

Speaking of citizen science: The second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas compiles millions (yes millions) of volunteer-collected bird observations recorded over 5 years to provide invaluable data on breeding birds in Virginia.
In case you missed our first Bird of the Year Webinar: Matt Felperin gave a fabulous talk last week about our Bird of the Year, the Pileated Woodpecker, and included lots of great information about our other native woodpeckers alongside his stunning photography. The recording of this program is free to view on our website.
Want to be a citizen scientist? Join our monthly natural resource survey at Meadowood Recreation Area on Wednesday. Or start recording your bird sighting on eBird and contribute to one of the largest citizen science projects around.You can also start getting ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count, which will be held from February 13-16.
Let’s go birding: This Saturday, join us for a Winter Waterfowl Watch at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in the morning, then head over to Arlington for the Crow Show as we join our friends at DC Bird Alliance to watch thousands of crows gather to roost in Shirlington.
Have you seen our Annual report yet? 2025 was a transformative year for NVBA. Take a look at our Annual Report to see why. We have a new format available for download as a pdf and an online version.
Save the date: Our first Alliance Afternoon of the year is on Sunday, 1/25!
We need your help: Check out our volunteer page for all the different ways you can lend a hand! From pulling invasives to helping with tabling events and counting birds and insects, there’s something for everyone.

See you out there,

The Northern Virginia Bird Alliance Team

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