The Feeder Flock is a new closed group on Facebook for young adults who feed wild birds in the U.S. and Canada. The group was run as a trial from Fall 2018 – Fall 2019 with about 350 18-35 year-olds (some call us “Millennials”). After a fun-filled year, we have decided to keep the group going to support the next generation of bird feeders.
In late 2017 we interviewed 72 young adults across the U.S. who enjoy feeding birds in their backyards. We asked them what they like and don’t like about feeding birds, and what they see as the benefits and drawbacks. We also asked about who they talk to about the birds they see at their feeders. What came as a surprise to us was the number of interviewees who said they wished they could talk to more people in their own age group about birds and bird feeding. Many of the groups they see online are made up of … well, people who are older than them!
The group was established to help connect young adults across North America and create a space where they can talk about the birds they see, share stories and images, learn more, and have a bit of fun. We have involved many of the interviewees in the development of this group, including suggesting and voting on the group name, and telling us what type of content they want to see. We are very grateful for all their input – it certainly wouldn’t be the same without this important feedback! Since then, the Facebook group members have helped the group grow and assisted our research into how we can better serve them. More information about the research can be found below.
RESEARCH
In 2018/19 the interactions of this group were monitored to assist community building within the group and participation in citizen science (specifically, Project FeederWatch). From time to time, we asked the group participate in research surveys, too. Answering those questions was optional – but we really appreciated the feedback! This information helped us improve the way we support younger adults and their love of bird feeding.
GROUP MEMBER’S PRIVACY IS OUR PRIORITY! Member’s names and activity will remain anonymous outside of the group and in any future publications. All members are asked to abide by the group rules (below).
The research with this group was approved by Cornell University’s Institutional Review Board (Protocol # 1708007362, Project title: “Engaging new audiences in citizen science.”).
CODE OF CONDUCT
By requesting to join this group, members are agreeing to the following code of conduct (also displayed in the Group Rules on the page):
WILD BIRDS ONLY. This group is solely focused on wild, backyard birds. This means no posts about beloved pets or birds that aren’t seen at or near a feeding location.
YOUNGER ADULTS ONLY, PLEASE. Members are expected to fall into the “Millennial” cohort (give or take a few years) because this group has been deliberately set up to serve the needs of this age group. This rule is NOT meant to deter others from participating in the many other Cornell Lab activities or pages which currently serve older generations. If you are not a Millennial, but you love bird feeding, please join us on the Project FeederWatch page or any others listed below. We would love to see you there!
STAY POSITIVE! Aggressive content will be immediately removed from the group. This means name-calling, offensive language, threats, and hate speech will not be tolerated in posts or comments. You will be removed from the group if you partake in these activities. Come on guys, we’re all friends here!
BE KIND AND COURTEOUS. We’re all in this together to create a welcoming environment. Let’s treat everyone with respect. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required.
NO PROMOTIONS OR SPAM. This community is not a place for excessive self-promotion, advertising, or “trolling”. While you’re welcome to share the projects you are working on, please refrain from posting if it is business-related and involves buying/selling. Spam and irrelevant links aren’t allowed.
RESPECT EVERYONE’S PRIVACY. Being part of this group requires mutual trust. Authentic, expressive discussions make groups great, but may also be sensitive and private. What’s shared in the group should stay in the group.
WHY ARE THERE AGE RESTRICTIONS?
Naturally, it excites us to see people of all ages are interested in learning more about feeding their backyard birds. However, as we have outlined above, our younger adult audiences have told us they would like to interact with more people their own age. There are very few bird-feeding groups online made up of younger bird-lovers, and the young adults we spoke to told us they feel the majority of online groups are not really “for them”.
The Feeder Flock is restricted to Millennials in the U.S. & Canada to allow us to better serve younger adults and their passions for bird feeding, especially since this age group are often missing or low in numbers in many of our bird-related activities. We want to ensure they continue a life-long passion for wild birds!
If you, or someone you know, falls outside the age group for The Feeder Flock, we have many other pages and groups where similar information about birds is shared.
OTHER FACEBOOK PAGES TO FOLLOW
Project FeederWatch (U.S.)
Project FeederWatch (Canada; closed group)
NestWatch
eBird
Macaulay Library
Habitat Network
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
You can also access lots of excellent bird feeding tips and information on how to get involved in citizen science at our Project FeederWatch website.
PROJECT TEAM
The Feeder Flock is now run by staff at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (including Holly Faulkner), and several volunteers within the group. The Principal Investigator (PI) for this project was Victoria (Vicki) Martin, Rose Postdoctoral Research Associate, at the Cornell Lab. Vicki has now moved on to continue her research in Australia. In addition, a team of students at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have helped to create content and manage the page. We are very grateful for the assistance provided by Rachael Maddy, Zena Casteel, Emma Regnier, Iriel Edwards, Facundo Fernandez-Duque, Brian Petersen, Ben Walters, Taylor Brown, Michelle D’Apice, Sean Gahagan, Joanne Avila, Lindsay Glasner, Jay McGowan and Germán Reyes.
SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT
Financial support for this project has been provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Unless stated otherwise, all the wonderful illustrations for The Feeder Flock have been created by Emma Regnier.
