Sparkle's bird census comment on another thread (totally different context, but I sometimes connect the dots strangly) reminded me that I had missed the Great American Backyard Bird Count for the first time in several years. It was this past weekend. However, there is another year round program associated with this project plus a few others. Thought some of you might be interested. Participation is free. This is a joint project between Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Data collection is classified as a citizen- science project.
To learn more go to
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc for info from Back Yard Count, including early results
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/eBird/ for e-bird year round
There is another program for winter feeder watchers but it has a small fee associated with it.
Material is also available for teachers wishing to get students involved.
For Info on the Annual Christmas Bird Count from the Audubon site, see
http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/index.html