Insights from 19 Years of Running the Bird Count Project
Launched in 2006, the Urban Bird Count aims to track changes in urban bird biodiversity, engage the public in scientific efforts, and integrate citizen science into educational systems over time.
At the Israel Center for Citizen Science, we conducted a study to analyze changes that occurred over the project’s 19-year history and to extract lessons for its future development. Over the years, we observed changes in project leadership, data collection protocols, survey timing, reporting platforms, and outreach efforts to the public and educators.
Our review of the project’s evolution offers valuable insights into the life cycle of long-term citizen science initiatives and how to maintain a dynamic, responsive project in the face of cultural and technological shifts. Key takeaways include:
Expect and prepare for change: Long-term projects are inherently dynamic. Cultural and technological shifts should be anticipated from the start and incorporated into planning.
Detailed scientific planning: The scientific framework is critical. Protocols and data analysis methods should be carefully designed in advance based on clearly defined research questions developed in collaboration with subject-matter experts—and changes to these protocols should be avoided whenever possible.
Structured decision-making: Project decisions should be grounded in well-documented meetings between the core leadership and supporting teams (e.g., science, outreach, communications), both before and after each implementation phase. These records can guide future directions.
Effectiveness evaluation: To assess success, all actions taken must be systematically documented and reviewed. A clear evaluation mechanism should be in place to measure impact over time.
Our study identified three key phases in the life of the project, during which changes occurred across four main dimensions: leadership, data collection protocols, reporting processes, and data analysis.
These findings, expanded upon here, were presented at the European Citizen Science Association conference held in April 2024.