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Neurodivergence is an Asset for Project FeederWatch
Many neurodiverse participants have shared that with birding, their own disabilities become helpful tools.
© Aaron J. Hill
Since 1976, Project FeederWatch has been through many changes, but what has remained is the dedication to collecting data that improves bird science. Dr. Ashley Dayer is a conservation scientist who leads a research team based on Project FeederWatch data. She says the project is a great opportunity for some birders with disabilities.
BirdNote®
Project FeederWatch is Neurodivergent-Friendly
Written by Jasmine ‘Jazzi’ Johnson
Deja Perkins: This is BirdNote.
[Mourning Warbler song, ML451268571]
Project Feederwatch is a community science bird counting program that thousands of birders participate in each year. Dr. Ashley Dayer, a conservation scientist, says the project is also a great opportunity for over one-third of birders with disabilities.
Ashley leads a research team based on Project FeederWatch data. And neurodiverse participants have shared how, with birding, their own disabilities become helpful tools.
Ashley Dayer: We've done interviews with folks who are neurodiverse, who will say, ‘because of my autism, I'm an even better birder because I can remember things really well.’ Or people with ADHD saying, ‘that's one of the times that I actually can zero in and stay really focused because my ability to hyperfocus plays a really great role.’
Deja Perkins: Ashley and her team’s main goal is to learn ways to increase inclusion and accessibility to Project Feederwatch. Participation is low among the vision impaired and Black and brown people, but project organizers are hopeful that new incoming data will help change that.
Ashley Dayer: We're trying to understand how to improve Project FeederWatch so that it is a project that people want to be involved in and feel like they belong.
Learn more about the latest Project Feederwatch findings on the new season of Bring Birds Back. Available now in your favorite podcast app or at BirdNote dot org. I’m Deja Perkins.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Mourning Warbler song ML451268571 recorded by Jeff Ellerbusch.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2024 BirdNote December 2024
Narrator: Deja Perkins
ID# PodBBB-36-2024-12-30 PodBBB-36
Deja Perkins
Narrator