Data Entry Contest: Improving Your Habitat for Birds

March 11, 2025

| American Kestrel by Judi Dressler|

For the ninth season in a row, Project FeederWatch and our sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited are rewarding registered FeederWatchers with the chance to win prizes. Celestron has joined the fun by offering one pair of binoculars to each data entry contest winner as well. After entering counts into the FeederWatch website, on the submission confirmation page, participants have the opportunity to share a story, memory, or tip by clicking the “Enter to Win” button. Two winners will be selected at random per prompt. Our fourth Data Entry Contest prompt of the 38th season was:

There are many ways to improve habitat for wildlife. What do you do to make your backyard a haven for your avian friends?

Congratulations to our winners, Bethany Gray and Angie Williams!

Bethany shared:

“In addition to providing bird food and monitoring feeders and nest boxes in my yard, I have registered my yard with the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. I have introduced many native plants in recent years. I have worked consistently to combat and remove invasive species on my property. I have also left parts of dead trees, wood and brush piles strategically around my yard.”

Planting native is a great way to help the birds thrive in your yard. Not only do these plants provide a natural diet of seeds, berries, buds, and fruit for birds, but they can also host native insects that birds rely on to feed themselves and their young. Read more about why planting native is important on our Gardening for Birds page.

Angie shared:

“I think our backyard is somewhat of a haven for birds, since so many birds are present in our yard throughout the year. Aside from having feeders and a bird bath (and keeping both clean and filled), we have Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow boxes, fruiting shrubs, and places to hide. We have Feather Friendly dots on some of our windows [to prevent window collisions]. We also have extensive gardens with perennial flowers and many native plants.”

Having nest boxes on your property is a great way to provide nesting habitat for birds in a time where habitat loss threatens avian populations. The Cornell Lab’s NestWatch program provides resources to help you learn about nests, how to install and manage nest boxes, and how to monitor nests to help scientists understand breeding bird biology. Check out NestWatch’s variety of nest box plans for your yard here.

Thanks to everyone who participated and shared their stories for this prompt – we wish we could share all of your submissions! Email feederwatch@cornell.edu with questions, and read the stories from past winners on our blog. Stay tuned for when we announce the winners of our last data entry contest of the season on April 15th, 2025.

Interested in becoming a FeederWatcher? Join the fun now!

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