Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item The effect of the covid-19 pandemic on backyard bird feeding habits and populations using a citizen science approach(Montana State University, 2021) Rittner, Zachary FrancisCitizen science is an effort to engage the public in scientific practice and enhance the educational experience for science students. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most residents to isolate themselves in an effort to control the spread of the disease. As a consequence, backyard birdwatching and feeding have become increasingly popular, but the ecological effects of increased supplemental feeding for backyard birds are largely unknown. Monitoring changes in the abundance of common backyard bird feeder species in the towns of Scotch Plains-Fanwood Ecosystem (SPFE), New Jersey through the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) could provide insights into motivating students through authentic, community-based learning and how changes in human behavior during the pandemic have contributed to population dynamics of the bird community of the SPFE through changes in resource availability. Students at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School participated in a minimum of 15 consecutive minutes of bird watching during the GBBC in 2020 and 2021 at locations within the SPFE. In addition, students were asked to complete a survey evaluating the effectiveness of the Great Backyard Bird Count in engaging the public through citizen science. The results indicated that fewer total individual backyard birds were reported during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to the count before the lockdown in 2020 within the SPFE. In contrast, the increases in adjusted Simpson and Shannon indices suggest an increase in species diversity by 9-21% from 2020 to 2021. The increase in diversity may be partly explained by the 25% increase in the number of feeding stations. However, the data potentially have considerable uncertainties associated with small sample size, inconsistencies in observation duration, available resources (training, equipment, available instructors, etc.), all of which are challenges typical of citizen science and working with teenagers during a global pandemic. Finally, participant feedback regarding the effectiveness of citizen science was overwhelmingly high and demonstrated clear public engagement in and admiration of the scientific process.