Birds ‘n’ Bogs is a citizen science project founded In the spring of 2013 by Audubon Alaska and the Geography and Environmental Studies Department at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.
ASI started Bird ‘n’ Bogs North in 2018. We follow the basic protocols established by the Anchorage founders, with some adaptations, and contribute our data to their growing database. With the help of volunteer birders, we aim to document the distribution of boreal birds in Interior wetlands, including Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Rusty Blackbirds, Olive-Sided Flycatchers, Tree Swallows, and Violet-Green Swallows.
Why? Boreal ecosystems are also changing–both globally and locally–and boreal wetland birds are among North America’s most rapidly declining birds. In North America, Rusty Blackbirds and Solitary Sandpipers have declined at a rate of 6.2% per year, Lesser Yellowlegs at 5.3%, and Olive-Sided Flycatchers at 3.5% since the 1960s. Although these species are typically thought of as common, they are rapidly becoming less abundant and are now rare or absent from some locations. For this reason, a number of boreal species are now considered to be of conservation concern both in Alaska and nationally.
The survey period for Birds ‘n’ Bogs North is mid May – mid June. Each volunteer “adopts” a wetland and surveys it four times during the project dates. Each individual survey lasts up to 1 hour for a total time commitment of approximately 4 hours.
Birds ‘n’ Bogs North 2020 Survey Periods
Early: May 18-24
Middle: May 25-31
Late: June 1-7
Very Late: June 8-14
For more information, contact ASI at (907) 888-2121 or email: director@aksongbird.org.
Special thanks to the Golden Heart Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation, Watchable Wildlife Conservation Trust, and ASI’s membership for funding this effort.