Life sometimes goes by in such a blur that the things we enjoy most go by the wayside, caught up as we are in the myriad comings and goings of home, school, work and family commitments.

So it was that sometime this summer, when we were all go-go-go and the leaves on the trees in my yard screened my bird feeders from view, I nearly forgot about them. Occasionally, when the wind blew, I would catch a glimpse of the tube feeder that’s normally filled with niger seed for the neighbourhood finches. Other than that, I didn’t give the feeders much thought.

This month though, with the leaves falling like a rainbow-hued shower in the stiff breeze, my lapse was unmasked. There was the dull brown niger feeder, empty of seeds and bereft of birds, still hanging from the nearly bare tree branch. Scattered on the damp ground, nearly covered by fallen leaves, were the green-painted sections of my trusty Squirrel Buster. Its various shiny silver-coloured parts had been scattered hither and yon down the hill, presumably by our neighbourhood’s indomitable raccoons.

After collecting up all the bits and pieces of my feeders, I washed everything thoroughly, rinsing with a dilute solution of vinegar, as instructed. Bleach, it said on the Squirrel Buster website, can leave a residue that’s harmful to birds.

I left my feeders to dry overnight, then filled them and hung them back on the tree. I put up a cage filled with suet — beloved by woodpeckers — and set out some orange slices, for kicks. I was wondering if any birds would enjoy the citrus treat, or whether those sections would just be a neon “welcome” sign for our neighbourhood’s four-legged marauders. (I’m talking to you, squirrels . . . you, too, raccoons.)

With that done, I went back inside to sign up for a joint program of Bird Studies Canada and the Ithaca, N.Y.-based Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Project FeederWatch is a type of citizen science in which the millions of people who enjoy bird watching in their own backyards can help collect a vast trove of data that scientists use to understand birds’ movements locally — migration patterns, population numbers, irruptions and much more. Participants record the weather, numbers of birds and species that visit their feeder site over a specific time period each week, and send the data to Project FeederWatch.

Last year, 2,800 people in Canada and 17,000 in the United States participated in Project FeederWatch, says Kerrie Wilcox, the Canadian co-ordinator of the effort. There is a push to get more Canadians on board for the 27th season this year, which runs until April 4. Feeder watchers can continue to sign up until the end of January.

Canadians enroll by becoming members of Bird Studies Canada, an organization that “advances the understanding, appreciation and conservation of wild birds and their habitats.” The $35 fee includes registration for Project FeederWatch as well as four issues of BirdWatch Canada magazine and a host of other fun and educational materials, including a poster, calendar, instruction booklet, handbook, help with IDs and much more.

Don’t worry if you’re not an expert. Project FeederWatch welcomes watchers of all experience and abilities. If you’re into birds at all, you will love PFW’s new website. I spent hours browsing the interactive site, discovering weekly photo contests, maps, pages on tricky bird IDs and my favourite — the hugely absorbing live FeederWatch cams.

PFW’s site design is as beautiful as anything on the web. The beauty of our tiny feathered friends captured in stunning photographs left me with a catch in my throat.

Before I left my online technicolour rabbit hole and returned to household chores, I clicked through a few pages to find out what birds were most commonly recorded by citizen scientists in our region last season. From most to least common, they were: black-capped chickadee, downy woodpecker, American goldfinch, mourning dove, dark-eyed junco, blue jay, northern cardinal, red-breasted nuthatch, and hairy woodpecker. Exactly what I got at my feeders last winter.

Maybe if I’m lucky this season, I’ll get something special, like a pine siskin (number 21 on last year’s list) or a sharp-shinned hawk (number 25).

For more information or to register, call 1-888-448-2473, or sign up online at www.birdscanada.org/pfw.html .

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

I’m off to stock up on some more seed.