Each summer for nearly 50 years over 2,500 expert volunteer bird watchers have risen before the sun to count birds along assigned roadside waypoints. This is North America's longest running continental landbird monitoring program, the bellwether for bird populations across the continent.
VCE is tasked with coordinating the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) across Vermont. Its a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, the Canadian Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Research Centre and institutions like VCE to monitor the status and trends of North American landbird populations.
Counting Birds / © K.P. McFarland
Following a rigorous protocol, BBS data are collected by thousands of dedicated participants along thousands of randomly established roadside routes throughout the continent. Professional BBS coordinators and data managers work closely with researchers and statisticians to compile and deliver these population data and population trend analyses on more than 400 bird species, for use by conservation managers, scientists, and the general public. We are always looking for highly skilled birders to join the BBS team!
