Have you been watching birds?

The Tug Hill Bird Quest is a fun way for anyone to learn more about the birds that visit our neighborhoods and backyards. It also provides a yearly record of the types and number of birds that are present at bird feeders each May in the Tug Hill region.

The Tug Hill Bird Quest is open to everyone. K-8 classrooms, home schoolers, youth groups, families, and individuals that live in the Tug Hill Region are welcome and encouraged to participate! It's free, it's fun, and it's a great learning opportunity.

Scroll down for all the details and to register!

Taking a break from indoor activities and turning our attention outside to watch birds can refresh us, reconnect us to the natural world, inspire curiosity, and help us become life-long learners. Your observations during this community science event also contribute to our multi-year collection of data about bird activity in our area!

Filling the feeder

Female Grosbeak Oriole and Goldfinch

Homeschool Bird Quest

A female Cardinal at a sunflower seed feeder

Brother and sister bird together

Bird Watchers by Emmanuel Vaucher

The Tug Hill Bird Quest connects kids with nature and is easy to incorporate into any classroom or home setting!

Here's How It Works:

Early Bird registration before December 31st allows teams to choose to receive emails containing fun facts and learning activities weekly January through April.
Don't want to be an Early Bird? All teams can sign up online or by email any time before April 1st to participate. Both Early Bird and regular teams receive Bird of the Day emails in May providing pictures and bird identification tips.
Teams in need can request to receive birdseed, a bird feeder and/or a Tug Hill natural history guidebook free of charge. All supplies are provided on a first come, first served basis as materials are available. Supplies are either delivered or picked up by teams in mid-April.
Teams install and add birdseed to their feeder(s) at least 2 weeks before the official observation week begins.
Teams watch each day and record the bird species and how many individuals of each they see during the official observation week.
Teams download and complete THTLT's tally sheet and submit the form to THTLT no later than one week after the end of observation week.
THTLT compiles the team tally sheets and provides a report to all teams in June.