Holding her 5-year-old daughter, Jessica, in her arms, Joanna Mungai watched from the deck of her Canton house as American goldfinches nibbled at seeds in a tubular feeder.

At least five of the dainty, bright yellow birds pecked repeatedly at the feeder, flying away for a time only to return for a second helping of medium sunflower chips.

	Post-Gazette Joanna Mungai keeps records of what kinds of birds eat different feeds in four feeders in her yard in Canton. Click photo for larger image.

No, not the salty variety humans might devour but the natural seeds marketed for avian tastes.

"They really, really like it," Mrs. Mungai said.

It was as if they could not get enough of a good thing

Also on the menu this sunny but breezy April day were black oil sunflower seeds, trailing at second place; white millet, which got a so-so reception; and cracked corn, which seemed to offer little, if any, appeal.

Mrs. Mungai is no casual bird feeder or watcher, however. She is one of about 120 citizen scientists participating in Project Wildbird, the first nationwide scientific study to determine what types of feed and feeders birds prefer. Participants from coast to coast and in Canada are involved or being sought.

Mrs. Mungai is the only Western Pennsylvania participant, said David J. Horn, assistant professor of biology at Milliken University. He, with student help, is coordinating the project. Ideally, though, the study would have 20 more citizen scientists in Western Pennsylvania, he said.

He hopes to have 500 participants nationwide by summer's end.

The three-year, $1 million project began in the fall of 2005, said Dr. Horn. It is financed by the Wild Bird Feeding Industry Research Foundation, a nonprofit based in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Mrs. Mungai began participating in March after reading about the project in a newspaper. She wanted to teach her daughters, Jessica and McKenzie, 8, about wildlife and to respect nature in their own back yard.

The Mungais' property includes a pond where wild duck and geese congregate. Project Wildbird offered a great opportunity for teaching the Mungai children about their resident wildlife.

Through the project, citizen scientists, as Dr. Horn calls them, test 10 types of feed, or those most commonly found in bird seed mixes, and four types of feeders. Participants also receive shepherd's hooks or poles for hanging the feeders and four squirrel baffles to prevent them from eating the feed.

"We watch the birds for 45 minutes and record the birds at five-minute intervals. An unexpected benefit is [Jessica] is learning to tell time," Mrs. Mungai said.

Information is recorded on a chart obtained from the Project Wildbird Web site, projectwildbird.org.

It's also nice to sit and enjoy the birds, she said. Since they began, besides the goldfinches, the Mungais have seen purple finches, red-winged black birds, rose breasted grossbeaks, northern flickers, grackles, juncos, mourning doves, downy woodpeckers, house sparrows and black cap chickadees.

"What I've noticed is a lot of birds come at different times of the day," she said.

A birdwatcher and feeder before she enrolled in the study, Mrs. Mungai said she knew some of the birds already. What she doesn't know, she identifies through photographs in a National Audubon Society book.

The project seeks people who are already knowledgeable about birds, however.

There are two criteria for being a citizen scientist, Mr. Horn said. First, they must have the time to rotate and refill the feeders and to monitor the birds every other day. Internet access is helpful but not required. Second, participants must be able to identify 95 percent of the common birds coming to the feeders. People do not have to be ornithologists, but they do need to be able to identify a house sparrow or finch for instance, he said.

Bird feeding is a very popular hobby, second to gardening, Mr. Horn said. About 50 million people in the United States feed wild birds and spend $2 billion on seed and $300 million on poles, feeders and other accessories, he said. In spite of the numbers, scientific studies of bird feeding are few.

There is no published data on seed preferences or on how it might change according to seasons and region, Mr Horn said. That's why the current study was undertaken.

Results are expected to be published in the winter of next year in a peer review scientific journal available to the public. Results also will be highlighted on Web sites and information also will available on bird feed packages.

Volunteers, who are not paid but get to keep the feeders, were recruited through newspaper mailers and regional and local Audubon Societies, retiree and home school associations, Mr. Horn said.

"Most of the participants are simply passionate birdwatchers who are already feeding birds. Bird feeding provides a connection for people with the natural world," he said.

He said he had contacted every citizen scientist, and his assistant, Stacey Shonkwiler, a biology major, maintains regular contact. Another student, Ted Quanstrom, a computer science major, is the Web programmer.

It's a "tremendous opportunity for Milliken to have a large grant to coordinate a U.S.- and Canada-wide study and for students to play a significant role in the project."

Coincidentally, Milliken has a Washington County connection. According to its Web site, the university, with a student body of 2,200, was founded by James Millikin, who was born in the village of Ten Mile and attended what is now Washington and Jefferson College.

Mr. Horn, who studied bird feeding habits as an eighth-grader in 1985, said he proposed the study to the Wild Bird Feeding Industry Research Foundation. He got involved with the industry as director of Wild Bird Centers of America, a retailing operation with about 100 stores throughout the United States.

"It was just the right time for the industry to come together and say we need to have scientific information to make the recommendations," about bird feed.

For more information about the study or how to participate, call Project Wildbird at 1-866-Wildbird.