Bird Counting Projects

Join us in tracking local bird populations!

Lehigh Gap Area Feeder Watch

An annual tradition since 1998, the Lehigh Gap Area Feeder Watch is a community-supported effort to monitor winter bird populations in our region. Do you have at least one bird feeder in your yard and live within 15 miles of Lehigh Gap Nature Center? If so, we invite you to participate in this year’s count!

As a volunteer Feeder Watcher, your objective is to observe your backyard bird feeder(s), record your bird sightings, and submit your data to Lehigh Gap Nature Center. In 2024, Feeder Watchers may count on either February 9, 10, or 11 and share their sightings via online form, mail, or email by February 23. Please follow the steps below:

1. Check your location.

Anyone who lives within a 15 mile radius of Lehigh Gap Nature Center is welcome to participate in this count. Please refer to the map below or click this link to make sure you are located within the count circle.

2. Pick a date.

You may choose either February 9, 10, or 11 (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) to do your Feeder Watch count. Please only select one of these three dates.

3. Observe, identify, and count.

On the date you select, please spend some time throughout the day watching your bird feeder(s), and identify and count all of the birds you observe. For each species, record the maximum number of each species seen at one time. This way, you will avoid counting the same birds more than once. Need help identifying a bird? Visit this link!

4. Submit your data.

Please use either the online form or the PDF below to share your observations with Lehigh Gap Nature Center. Submission deadline: February 23, 2024

Two options to submit your data:

Option 1: Online Form

Click here to fill out the online form! Results are automatically sent to LGNC.

Option 2: PDF Form

Click here to download the PDF form! Then return it to LGNC via email or mail.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email Chad Schwartz at chad.schwartz@lgnc.org. Thank you again! We look forward to receiving your data.

Bake Oven Knob Area Winter Bird Survey

This survey is conducted on the third Saturday of each January, weather permitting, to identify all of the birds found on an auto tour route that roughly forms a rectangle around Bake Oven Knob on the Kittatinny Ridge, or Blue Mountain, in eastern Pennsylvania. Click here for the cumulative count records from 1997 through 2024.