Climate Watch FAQ’s

About Climate Watch
How is climate change affecting birds?
How does Climate Watch benefit birds?
How can I participate in Climate Watch?
When can I participate in Climate Watch?
Why does Climate Watch take place in winter and summer?
Why conduct Climate Watch surveys instead of using data from other community science programs like the Christmas Bird Count, Breeding Bird Survey, and eBird?
What are the potential roles for Climate Watch volunteers?
How can I find a Climate Watch Coordinator near me?
What are the Climate Watch target species and why focus on target species?
Where can I find resources to promote Climate Watch in my area?

Planning Your Participation
Where can I view maps of predicted change in climate suitability for target species in my area?
What are Climate Watch squares and where can I see them?
How can I find a Climate Watch Square Identification Code?
What do the predictions of improving, worsening, and no change/stasis mean for the target species in those squares?
What factors should I consider when choosing Climate Watch squares to survey?
What factors should I consider when selecting survey points?
How should I identify habitat for the target species?
Should survey points be distributed evenly throughout the square?
Should I survey the same points across different seasons and years of Climate Watch?

Conducting Surveys
How many people should participate in conducting a Climate Watch survey?
How long does it take to finish surveying all 12 points within a square?
Can I bird for longer than five minutes at each point?
Is it necessary to wait after arriving at a survey location before starting the five-minute survey?
How far from my survey point should I count birds?​
Should I conduct surveys in poor weather?
What should I do if weather conditions change while conducting surveys?
Can I survey in areas with nest boxes or bird feeders?
Can I use bird call playback or other sound-based attractants in our Climate Watch survey?

Submitting Data
How do I submit my Climate Watch data?
What data do I need to include in each survey checklist?
How do I capture location data?
If I do not see any target species on my survey, should I still submit my data?
What does the eBird question “are you reporting all of the species you were able to identify” mean and why should I always answer “yes” for Climate Watch surveys?
How do I make my eBird checklist comments publicly viewable?

Climate Watch Results
Where can I explore the results of Climate Watch Surveys?
 

About Climate Watch

How is climate change affecting birds?

Audubon’s 2019 climate change report, ‘Survival By Degrees,’  reveals that up to two-thirds of North American birds are vulnerable to extinction due to climate change.  For example, the beautiful Mountain Bluebird is vulnerable because in the vast majority of its summer range, the climate conditions that this bird needs—temperature, amount of rainfall, and other environmental factors—will shift northward and eastward. This bird may be able to move into new areas over time, or it may struggle to adapt. To test the report’s predictions, Audubon has developed Climate Watch, which aims to document species’ responses to climate change and test Audubon’s climate models by having volunteers in the field look for birds where Audubon’s climate models predict they will be in the 2020s. This information helps Audubon target our conservation work to protect birds.

Our birds will see their climatic ranges shrink, shift, or expand in the coming decades, but whether or not birds are able to shift or expand into new areas will depend on whether appropriate habitat and food sources are present.

How does Climate Watch benefit birds?

Your participation in Climate Watch provides Audubon scientists with data on the current distribution of target species that can be used to validate and refine our models for where these species’ ranges will shift under the effects of climate change. As we ground-truth these models and confirm and improve their accuracy we will use them to identify areas of high climatic suitability for target species and to inform on-the-ground conservation decisions.  

How can I participate in Climate Watch?

Climate Watch is open to birders of all ages across the United States. Check out how to get involved in conducting surveys in your area.

When can I participate in Climate Watch?

Climate Watch takes place during the winter, from January 15 to February 15 and in the summer, May 15 to June 15 each year. Participants can choose to conduct surveys in their selected square on any day within the count period, but each square of 12 surveys should be completed in one morning. Participants are able to survey more than one square, choosing another day to survey within the count period. Repeat surveys of the same points season to season are particularly valuable in showing change in occupancy of our target species, so please consider continuing your participation across seasons.

Why does Climate Watch take place in winter and summer?

The goal of Climate Watch is to capture changes in the breeding and wintering activity of target species. Although the timing of breeding and arrival on wintering grounds varies across species and across the country, these timeframes (May 15 – June 15 and January 15 – February 15) do a good job of capturing those parts of their lifecycle, despite this variability.

Why conduct Climate Watch surveys instead of using data from other community science programs like the Christmas Bird Count, Breeding Bird Survey, and eBird?

Climate Watch surveys are designed specifically to answer questions about the detectability and abundance of target species within areas projected to experience changes in climate suitability. This means that surveys are often set in areas where target species don’t yet occur, but climate change analyses suggest they might be shifting into. The surveys are set up to directly test the Birds and Climate Report models for each species, at a fine-scale resolution, with a structured protocol so that data are collected to help calculate detection, occupancy and abundance estimates. Data from other programs are less structured and do not allow for as rich of an analysis but are often included to complement our detailed Climate Watch data set.

Additionally, we need count periods to occur at the same time each year (January 15-February 15 or May 15-June 15) in order to be comparable to other Climate Watch surveys happening during the same time, as well as year to year. We selected these time periods to better capture target species as close to their true wintering or breeding grounds as possible for most of the country. Both Christmas Bird Count and Climate Watch data are needed together to improve our body of knowledge about how birds are affected by climate change.

What are the potential roles for Climate Watch volunteers?

Much like with the Christmas Bird Count there are different potential roles for individuals interested in volunteering for Climate Watch:

Regional Coordinator: Volunteers who facilitate the Climate Watch program at a state or regional level, by identifying, recruiting, and training local coordinators and connecting individual volunteers with coordinated efforts in their state.

Local Coordinator: Volunteers who manage their group or area’s participation in Climate Watch by recruiting participants, training them to plan and conduct Climate Watch surveys, and ensuring that the data they collect are submitted to the national Climate Watch team. The coordinator also communicates the science and rationale behind the program, including providing information on the predicted future range changes of the target species. Coordinators also serve as the main point of contact with the national Climate Watch team and help to improve the program by providing feedback based on their group’s experiences.

Participant: Volunteers who complete Climate Watch surveys in collaboration with their group’s Climate Watch coordinator or individually in areas without a current coordinated effort. Participants serve a critical role, collecting data that will both validate the current projections of Audubon’s climate models and help us understand how birds are responding to climate change mediated range shifts.  Participants will also gain valuable field monitoring skills.

How can I find a Climate Watch coordinator near me?

You can view a list of active Climate Watch coordinators and their contact information on the Climate Watch Coordinator Listing. If your area does not yet have a coordinator consider becoming a coordinator to help us gain information about how the birds are doing in your area.

What are the Climate Watch target species and why focus on target species?

The current target species are: Eastern Bluebird, Mountain Bluebird, and Western Bluebird, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and White-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, Painted Bunting, Eastern Towhee and Spotted Towhee. Climate Watch focuses on conducting surveys for one or more selected target species so that we can collect a large data set that we can use to perform robust analyses on how climate change affects these representative species. Note that we don't expect individuals or groups to survey more than one target species, unless enough participants are available to conduct surveys for an additional target species. 

Climate Watch focuses on these species because they are easy to identify, have an enthusiastic constituency, and Audubon’s climate models for these species offer strong predictions for range shifts for us to test. 

Where can I find resources to promote Climate Watch in my area?

Promotional materials, including social media content, sample newsletter text, posters, flyers, and a PowerPoint presentation are available on the Coordinator Resources page. In addition, you can find out about Audubon's 2019 climate change report at Survival by Degrees.

Planning Your Participation

Where can I view maps of predicted change in climate suitability for target species in my area?

You can explore the predicted change in climate suitability for target species in the 2020’s in your area through the online Climate Watch Planner. You can view detailed instructions on how to use the Climate Watch Planner on the Coordinators page or the Participants page. You can see range-wide models for change in climate suitability for target species through Audubon's online bird guide.

What are Climate Watch squares and where can I see them?

We have divided our predictions in change in climate suitability for target species into a continuous grid of 10x10km squares, each of which has a  color coded value, of improving to worsening, indicating the change in climate suitability from the 2000’s to the 2020’s for that target species. You can view these predictions on the Climate Watch Planner and view a map of Climate Watch squares and claim your own on the Claim a Climate Watch Square  tab of the planner Tool.

How can I find a Climate Watch Square Identification Code?

When viewing predicted change in climate suitability grids on the Climate Watch Planner or the Claim a Climate Watch Square Tab you can click on a square to view it’s unique identification code in the format USA-XX-##### (where XX is the state code, and the five digit number is the unique Climate Watch square number).

What do the predictions of improving, worsening, and no change/stasis mean for the target species in those squares?

Climate Watch maps now include data from Audubon’s latest climate models which use climate and habitat data correlated with past bird observations to predict the climate suitability of a given area for each target species in 2025. Improving indicates that the area is predicted to have improving climate suitability for a given species, worsening indicates that it is predicted to have decreasing climate suitability, and no change or stable indicates that its climate suitability is predicted to stay the same. Surveys from areas of the highest gain or loss of climate suitability are most valuable in testing these predictions and surveys from no change or stable squares are valuable for calculating baseline detectability for these species.

What factors should I consider when choosing Climate Watch squares to survey?

First, prioritize squares that have the strongest predictions for worsening or improving habitat (in our online Climate Watch Planner look at the legend to see how this is displayed). Surveys from gray stable squares are also valuable and there may not be any predicted worsening or improving squares in your area for a given species and season. From there prioritize the squares with the best habitat for the target species based on satellite maps, local knowledge, and in-person scouting. Finally, be sure squares are physically and legally accessible to participants.

What factors should I consider when selecting survey points?

Select survey points in the best possible publicly accessible habitat for the target species within the square. Survey points should be 200 meters from any other survey point in the square to prevent double-counting. Survey points should be physically and legally accessible—you should be able to drive or walk there safely and have the proper permission to access the property.

How should I identify habitat for the target species?

You can identify the best habitat for target species based on your personal knowledge of the species habitat preferences, the knowledge of your Climate Watch Coordinator or other local experts, the satellite maps and habitat descriptions provided on the Climate Watch website, and/or in-person scouting of the area.

Should survey points be distributed evenly throughout the square?

There is no need to distribute survey points evenly throughout a square. Survey points should be at least 200 meters apart and should be selected based on the best potential habitat for the target species regardless of their distribution within the square.

Should I survey the same points across different seasons and years of Climate Watch?

While you may target different areas across the summer and winter seasons based on differences between winter and summer habitats for target species, it is best to return to the same survey points each winter and another set of survey points each summer. Surveying these same points (or as close as possible) winter after winter and summer after summer provides us with more valuable data on long-term changes in occupancy.
 

Conducting Surveys

How many people should participate in conducting a Climate Watch survey?

We ask that Climate Watch surveys be conducted by 1-3 individuals whenever possible. Larger groups tend to be louder and are more likely to be distracted, leading to a change in their chance of detecting a target species. No matter how many people participate in your surveys, be sure to note the number of observers when submitting your data.

How long does it take to finish surveying all 12 points within a square?

Depending on travel time between points and conditions, conducting the 12 point counts within a square on one morning should take anywhere from two to six hours.

Can I bird for longer than five minutes at each point?

You may bird for longer than five minutes at your survey location, but please only record and enter the observations from the first five minutes for Climate Watch purposes. Keeping your recorded counts to 5 minutes ensures that all Climate Watch surveys are done in the same manner, and are comparable within the statistical analyses. You can submit your other observations on separate eBird checklists.

Is it necessary to wait after arriving at a survey location before starting the five-minute survey?

No, it is not necessary to wait any length of time before beginning your five-minute survey, in fact it is important that you begin your survey time as soon as possible after arriving at your survey location. Please do not wait until you see a target species bird before beginning your survey.

How far from my survey point should I count birds?

You should record the number of individual birds and species  by sight and sound within 100 meters of your survey location. Species and individuals outside of the 100 meters should not be included in Climate Watch checklists. Use your best estimate to determine the 100 meter survey distance. Note that you can decide to survey for all species you observe if you are using eBird and wish to submit a complete checklist. You can also decide to only record your observations of the target species and record those through the Audubon mobile app. Either method is fine for Climate Watch. 

Should I conduct surveys in poor weather?

Conduct your surveys only if the conditions will not jeopardize your safety or impact the detectability of target species. A light breeze or intermittent precipitation will not affect detectability, but avoid conducting counts in steady rain, snow, or during periods of high winds.

What should I do if weather conditions change while conducting surveys?

If weather conditions or other unforeseeable delays occur, the late afternoon period is an option if conditions improve and it is preferable to complete a set of point counts in one day including the late afternoon than to split them over multiple days. If conditions do not improve, please complete the surveys as soon as possible on another day.

Can I survey in areas with nest boxes or bird feeders?

Feel free to select survey locations with nest boxes and feeders within the survey area. Please note the presence of nest boxes or feeders in the comments of your  eBird checklists for those surveys and on the form in the Audubon mobile app.

Can I use bird call playback or other sound-based attractants in our Climate Watch survey?

With the development of technology, call playback to attract birds has become more common in the birding community. Although we understand that this may increase your chances of seeing certain bird species, we ask participants in Climate Watch surveys to refrain from using bird call playback, predator call playback, as well as “pishing” and other bird call mimicking. The Climate Watch protocol was developed to measure detection of the target species, and the use of playback and mimicking can interfere with our ability to get an accurate estimate of a species true detection in the field.

Submitting Data

How do I submit my Climate Watch data?

There are a few methods to collect and submit your data. Please review our "How to Submit Your Data" page for more details on how to submit your data to Audubon.

What data do I need to include in each survey checklist?

For each survey we ask that you submit a checklist with the start time, duration (5 minutes), the number of observers, location (latitude and longitude), the total number of individuals of each bird species that you observed, and include the presence of any nest boxes or feeders, and which target species you selected habitat for in the eBird comments section.

How do I capture location data?

The easiest way to capture your location is to use the Audubon mobile app or eBird mobile app to submit your observations from the field—these apps can automatically capture your location data when you start a new checklist. These are available free on both iOS and Android. Alternatively, you can use a GPS device, paper maps to correlate your location with Google Maps, or another smartphone application to capture your latitude and longitude in the format of decimal degrees, DDD.DDDDDD°, not degrees, minutes, and seconds.

If you are outside of cell coverage while doing your survey, the Audubon app Climate Watch form is fully functional offline, however users aren't able to see the map tile graphics that require a network connection. Users can manually add the exact latitude and longitude coordinates of where they're supposed to be but the map will appear gray. Here is a link to a video that illustrates how this will work.

If I do not see any target species on my survey, should I still submit my data?

Yes! The absence of the target species is a very important data point. The models predict where the target species will be showing up or abandoning habitat during the next fifteen years. We need all data, including the absence of birds, in order to observe changes like this and tell the full story. Be sure to enter and submit a checklist of the birds seen during Climate Watch surveys even if the target species was not observed.

What does the eBird question “are you reporting all of the species you were able to identify” mean and why should I always answer “yes” for Climate Watch surveys?

This important question is asked about every bird observation when using eBird. Answering yes does not mean you were able to identify every bird you observed in the survey area, but rather that you are not intentionally excluding a species that you were able to identify from your checklist. Answering yes is important for Climate Watch checklists as this allows us to infer the absence of any target species you are not reporting in a given survey area.

How do I make my eBird checklist comments publicly viewable?

The default setting in eBird hides your checklist comments from the public data. In order to allow the Climate Watch team to access your target species data and the presence of nest boxes or feeders, log in to eBird.org, go to My eBird, select My eBird Preferences, uncheck the box next to “Hide my checklist comments” and then save your changes.


Climate Watch Results

Where can I explore the results of Climate Watch Surveys?

You can explore the results of Climate Watch surveys on the Climate Watch Results page.