This Project Is For The Birds

Birdwatching, and recording what you see, is one of the oldest and largest examples of what we now call citizen science.

This summer, the New York Times has embarked on project with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to help gather more information for researchers to understand what’s happening with bird populations – and to help more people get interested in the wildlife around them.

The Florida Keys, as a subtropical location at the edge of the country, are a particularly good place to see birds. And during the spring and fall migrations, we are a superhighway for birds of all kinds from tiny songbirds to fierce raptors.

If you’d like to take part in this project, but you don’t have a New York Times subscription, we’re here to help. You can access the New York Times digital edition when you’re at the library on our wifi. And if you have a Monroe County Public Library card, you can activate 24 hours of off-site access with this link.

Two men stand on a beach with a large flock of birds on the ground and in the air behind them — Nesting birds at the Dry Tortugas

Image from the Heritage House Collection, donated by the Campbell, Poirier and Pound families. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Posted July 11th, 2023