Set out before dawn to drive along a scenic route and pull over at 50 stops to count birds. It’s simple, but takes some skill!
Who Participates
More than 2,500 skilled amateur birders and professional biologists contribute to the North American BBS each year. Vermont has 23 survey routes, some of which are currently available for adoption.
What’s Involved
Each BBS route is 24.5 miles long, with 50 stops spaced 0.5 miles apart. At each stop, the observer conducts a 3-minute count of all birds seen or heard. Surveys begin 30 minutes before sunrise and typically take about five hours to complete. Observers typically drive their route on a scouting trip on a day prior to their survey.
Participation Requirements
- Reliable transportation to drive along and complete a roadside route
- Excellent eyesight and hearing (including high-frequency sounds)
- Ability to identify all local breeding birds by sight and sound. Most birds counted on these surveys are only heard, not seen!
- Willingness to commit to multiple years of participation. Consistency in observers is important for BBS data analysis.
If you meet these criteria and are interested in adopting a route, contact Megan Massa, Vermont BBS Coordinator.
Not yet a master of hundreds of bird songs and calls? Try Mountain Birdwatch, with a smaller suite of ten species to monitor.
Want to contribute to our understanding of bird populations in a more casual way? Check out eBird Vermont, an amazing crowd-sourced database of bird observations.
