Winter Feeder Survey

If you enjoy feeding birds and have a bird feeder out, join the Winter Feeder Count! We are asking people living in Michigan to submit their information about the birds visiting their feeders monthly, November through April. There is a simple protocol to follow and the information gathered is valuable for protecting birds and the habitat they utilize.

Email John at to sign up.

Top Five Species for the 2023-2024 Winter Feeder Survey

Below are the top five species based on percentages of feeders visited over entire state:
chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Blue Jay(2)

Blue Jay

American Goldfinch on a branch

American Goldfinch

White Breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch 

Winter Feeder Count Wrapup 2023-2024

The 48th annual count took place from November 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023. A total of 216 participants conducted 1,053 feeder counts and together we identified 61,792 birds and 119 species in the feeder count areas. This last winter season (2023/24) was a mild winter with very few cold snaps, and we had numerous people mention the lack of birds at their feeders during those unusually warm spells. Spring also came early over much of the state which accounted for both Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Baltimore Orioles being reported at 2 times more than their normal average. Pines Siskins also returned to more normal numbers after very low numbers the year before. Red-breasted Nuthatches were predicted to stay up in Canada last year due to a good cone crop in the Balsam Firs so after 3 years of record high numbers (65-70 percent of feeders reporting them), they dropped to only 35 percent of feeders reporting them. There were also higher than normal numbers of both White-crowned Sparrows and Eastern Bluebirds last year.

Winter Feeder Cardinals

For current participants:

You can now fill out your Count Day forms online! This survey is open to KNC volunteers to record observations of bird species for our winter feeder count program. Please fill out one form for each Count Day. Forms are due by the 15th of the month after the count day.

Fill out a Count Day Form here

Donate to the Winter Feeder Survey

KNC’s Winter Feeder Count has brought together hundreds of Michigan’s birdwatchers for over four decades, creating an incredibly valuable dataset for tracking bird populations over time. This important work continues year after year through the generous support of donors like you.

Make a secure donation here >