With a simple protocol, concise training materials, one-on-one help for participants, and short list of only 10 birds and one loud chattering mammal (red squirrel) to survey, just about any hiker with an interest in birds can join.
You don’t have to be an expert—just enthusiastic—and participating is easy:
- Make sure you can hear the high-pitched song of the Blackpoll Warbler.
- Learn the songs and calls of the 11 monitored (i.e., focal) species, and review the simple protocol and training materials.
- Review the available routes (mountain hikes) in the map below, and reach out to Jason Hill at jhill@vtecostudies.org to confirm your route.
- Choose one day in June that works with your schedule and the weather. Hike up the mountain the day before, scout your route, and get to sleep. The next morning you’ll get up early and conduct your surveys at three to six sampling stations on a hiking trail. Hike to the summit to celebrate!
- Enter your data online and scan or mail in your datasheets. Congratulations—you’re finished until next June!
If you have any questions, contact our Volunteer Coordinator Dana at dwilliams@vtecostudies.org.
Available Routes for June 2026
We’re still (early-April) in the process of hearing from all of our Mountain Birdwatchers who adopted a route in 2025 (hence the handful of routes with ‘Uncertain’ status on the map). As we hear back from these community scientists, to learn of their plans for participating in 2026, we will update the map below. Adopt one of the Available routes by clicking on the icon and then the “Email Jason” link that pops up and tell Jason something about yourself. You can also sign up as the alternate for a route that someone else has already adopted–just follow the same steps. Once you adopt a route, it’s yours until you no longer want it. You can always switch routes in subsequent years, and routes do become available at the last minute, so check this map again in mid-June.
