Dr. Erin Bayne and his Biology 367 class at the University of Alberta are asking for your help to understand bird collisions with windows in the Edmonton area. Millions of birds are killed each year when they strike windows, but not all of the factors relating to these collisions are well understood.

The study was co-designed by the students in the fall term class and includes an online survey as well as a pamphlet to raise awareness about urban bird conservation.

The information that Dr. Bayne and his students hope to collect also includes the characteristics of yards that cause bird mortality and those that reduce bird deaths. Once this data is collected and analyzed, strategies can be developed to make urban spaces safer for our feathered friends.

Citizen scientists are regular people from all walks of life who are interested in the world around us and want to contribute to understanding it better. By collecting data from local observations and submitting it to a larger group for study, citizen science advances our knowledge of nature.