How Mount Grace is Leveraging eBird to Support Citizen Science and Strengthen Our Conservation Efforts

When it comes to harnessing the power of citizen science, “eBird” has cracked the code.

Managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, eBird is a global database of bird observations that allows volunteers to submit data about bird species, locations, and behaviors, all of which contributes to a vast, continually updated resource that is used by researchers, conservationists and bird enthusiasts worldwide. Today, eBird has grown to have more than 100 million bird sighting contributions each year.

This data helps track bird populations, migration patterns, and changes in distribution, which in turn supports scientific study and conservation efforts. Recognizing the power of this data-collection tool, Mount Grace’s stewardship team has begun utilizing eBird to study bird species on our conservation properties.

Using eBird to study forest regeneration at Guiney Memorial Forest

In an effort lead by May Grzybowski, Mount Grace’s Stewardship Engagement Associate, we have begun training volunteers on how to use eBird to collect birding data on land we protect.

This year, Mount Grace is working with volunteers at Guiney Memorial Forest in Royalston to monitor bird activity after habitat management work was carried out last winter. With the support of the 2023 Cornell Lab’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Grant, Mount Grace harvested timber on 12 of the 33 acres within the property (3 acres were clear-cut, 9 acres were selectively thinned). The aim of the project was to improve bird habitat by creating openings in the forest canopy.

The existing forest was dominated by a cohort of uniformly aged pine trees, and we've removed the unhealthy and diseased pines to make room for a more diverse-aged forest to promote more varied habitat.

Clearing a section of forest… to create habitat? Though that may seem contradictory, studies have shown that early successional forests are vital for the life cycles of many species, especially rare and endangered birds. One way we can create early successional forest is by actively managing the forest – through selective thinning it or, in some cases, clear-cutting.

This site's management plan is designed to promote oak regeneration. Oak trees support a wide variety of insect species, which in turn provide food for insect-eating birds such as Northern Flickers and Wood Thrushes.

Having volunteers compile lists of the birds they observe each time they visit Guiney will allow us to better assess the impact of our forest management practices on bird populations.

“Over time, we can get a real sense of change and better understand how our forest management techniques create, or fail to create, diverse habitat,” said Tessa Dowling, Stewardship Manager at Mount Grace. The more data points we have, the clearer the picture is. That takes time, dedication and years of data collection.

That’s where you come in.

Help contribute to Mount Grace’s eBird database

To make this scientific data-gathering possible, we need you.

Oue volunteers at Guiney have already made tremendous progress. In 14 visits to this forest regeneration site, Mount Grace volunteers have observed:

• 400 individual birds.
• 51 total bird species.
• 6 bird species that are currently on the Massachusetts Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) list.

Are you interested in learning more about how you can collect eBird data? Mount Grace is offering free eBird Webinar Trainings that are designed to teach volunteers how to accurately collect birding data.

Our next webinar will take place on August 20 at 5:00pm Eastern Time, and it will be hosted by May Grzybowski, Stewardship Engagement Associate at Mount Grace. Visit our website’s event page to learn more!