| Pileated Woodpecker by Marie Lehmann | For the sixth season in a row, Project FeederWatch and our sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited are rewarding registered FeederWatchers with the chance to win prizes. After entering bird counts (data) into the FeederWatch website, participants have the opportunity to share a story, memory, or tip by clicking the “Enter to Win” button on the Count Summary page. This year, we’re randomly selecting two winners per prompt. Our third Data Entry contest prompt was: Describe how you became interested in birds. Do you have a “spark” bird? Tell us how it all began! Con ..read more

| American Goldfinch by Bob Vuxinic | For the sixth season in a row, Project FeederWatch and our sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited are rewarding registered FeederWatchers with the chance to win prizes. After entering bird counts (data) into the FeederWatch website, participants have the opportunity to share a story, memory, or tip by clicking the “Enter to Win” button on the Count Summary page. This year, we’re randomly selecting two winners per prompt. Our second Data Entry contest prompt was: Do you FeederWatch with someone special, or do you enjoy watching in quiet solitude? Whether it’s with a ..read more

| Townsend’s Warbler by Steve Pearl | For the sixth season in a row, Project FeederWatch and our sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited are rewarding registered FeederWatchers with the chance to win prizes. After entering bird counts (data) into the FeederWatch website, participants have the opportunity to share a story, memory, or tip by clicking the “Enter to Win” button on the Count Summary page. This year, we’re randomly selecting two winners per prompt. Our first Data Entry contest prompt was: What are you most excited for during this season of FeederWatch? Tell us why you love to participate! Con ..read more

You’ve just sat down in your living room under a cozy blanket with a steaming mug of fresh coffee to begin your FeederWatch count. You watch for an hour as chickadees race back and forth to your feeder from deep inside spruce trees just outside of view. You know there are probably several birds darting around in the branches, but they only come into view one at a time. How do you record these multiple visits in your count? While it’s tempting to add up every visit by the chickadees, the FeederWatch protocol calls for reporting only the highest number of each species seen simultaneously. Why is ..read more

| Jelly Squabble! by Pam Garcia | This year’s BirdSpotter contest was once again full of bright, creative, and beautiful photos of birds. We received over 1,900 entries and all garnering more than 6,700 votes to help us choose our Judges’ Choice, People’s Choice, and Grand Prize winners! Without further ado, here are our top three Grand Prize winners for this year’s contest: Congratulations first to Pam Garcia, of Mansfield, LA for winning our top Grand Prize spot! Pam’s photo is pictured above and shows four species: Baltimore Oriole, Blue Jay, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and can you spot the No ..read more

| Anna’s Hummingbird by Robert Hechler| Our eighth and final BirdSpotter category of the 2020-2021 season finished up yesterday, March 4. In this final category, we asked participants to submit photos of colorful birds. We saw over 400 entries – the highest yet this season- of birds sporting all the colors of the rainbow. Without further ado, the People’s Choice winner for Category 8 is Robert Hechler! Robert snapped this Anna’s Hummingbird just as the light hit the feathers in its stunning gorget (throat patch). Robert goes on: [This photo was] photographed during a study break at the Univer ..read more

| Painted Bunting by Andrew Mills| Our eighth and final BirdSpotter category of the 2020-2021 season finished up yesterday on March 4. The theme for Category 8 was Rainbow Birds, and our gallery didn’t disappoint! Folks submitted colorful birds from across the spectrum. Our Judges’ Choice winner for Category 8 is Andrew Mills, for this bright and cheery Painted Bunting that he was lucky enough to find in Washington, DC this past January. Andrew says: This Painted Bunting strayed from his usual winter grounds and found his way up to Washington D.C., becoming a local celebrity and drawing bird ..read more

| Black-billed Magpie by Mark Fuller (left) and Sharp-shinned Hawk by Mary Foust (right) | For the fifth season in a row, Cornell Lab and our sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited are rewarding registered FeederWatchers with BirdSpotter prizes. After entering bird counts (data) into the FeederWatch website, participants have the opportunity to share a story, memory, or tip by clicking the “Enter to Win” button on the Count Summary page. Our fourth and final Data Entry contest prompt was: Antics abound at our feeder sites, whether it is acrobatic squirrels or clumsy birds. Share a laugh-out-loud moment ..read more

| Northern Cardinal by Gregory Cruthis| Our seventh BirdSpotter category of the 2020-2021 season finished up last week on February 18. In this penultimate category, we asked participants to submit photos of their favorite bird – and boy did you deliver! We saw over 200 entries highlighting your favorite feathered friends and the votes came in from all over. Without further ado, the People’s Choice winner for Category 7 is Gregory Cruthis! Greg snapped this brilliant portrait of a Northern Cardinal, and was able to capture a perfect snowflake in the shot. He goes on: This was taking during our ..read more

| White-throated Sparrow by Nikki Buchalski| Our seventh BirdSpotter category of the 2020-2021 season finished up last week on February 18. The theme for Category 7 was Your Favorite Bird; participants were encouraged to submit shots of their favorite bird species. Our Judges’ Choice winner for Category 7 is Nikki Buchalski, for this graceful shot of a White-throated Sparrow! Nikki says: I have always enjoyed watching the bird feeders in my yard and photographing the birds. We had several snowstorms in New Jersey this year, so I cleaned the snow off the deck railing right outside my sunporch ..read more