2014 NFSS Census in U.S. and Canada

[Sally]

The 2014 NFSS Census Is Now Open!

Happy New Year everyone!

It is that time of year again - The National Finch and Softbill Society is once again collecting annual census data about the birds we keep.

The NFSS hopes you all will participate and help us monitor the numbers of each species kept in captivity. The Census represents the 2014 calendar year, so please report your counts as they stand at the conclusion of 2014. If you do not know the exact numbers, please estimate as close as possible. The important thing is to participate.

You can easily participate online at http://www.nfss-fss.org/Census/. You do not need to be an NFSS member to participate. All finch and softbill keepers are encouraged to participate, whether you keep one bird or hundreds - whether you breed or just enjoy them. This information helps us keep track of what species are being kept, what species are being bred, and their geographic distribution.

You can choose to share your personal information if you wish to allow others to contact you about your birds. You may choose to hide your information from other participants so that your information will be included in the counts, but your personal information is kept private. It is completely up to you.

If you participated in a previous year, you can log in again this year with your same account if you choose. If you do this, by default, you will start with your counts from the most recent year you participated. You can clear those counts or just modify them to reflect your current counts. If you forgot your password, there is a password recovery box on the Census home page beneath the login boxes (this will only work if you provided an e-mail address when you created your account). Or, if you prefer, you can create a new account for this year and start all over.

I am occasionally asked by vendors whether they should include their sale birds in the Census counts. I have always advised vendors to only count their personal birds and not birds that they have purchased for the sole purpose of reselling immediately. This will help to ensure that our statistics are not skewed by vendors with large numbers of birds that are destined to change hands quickly. Instead, those birds should be reported by their new owners. On the other hand, breeders should count their breeding stock, babies, and personal birds as their own, even if they intend to eventually sell/trade some of the young. Since the young were hatched in your bird rooms, they are considered to be in their current home.

If you keep parrot finches, please note that every year we have some confusion regarding the Red-throated Parrotfinch (Eyrthrura psittacea) and the Red-headed Parrotfinch (Erythrura cyaneovirens) (common names as per Clement's Finches & Sparrows). The latter is very rare, if not completely absent, in the United States. The red-throated parrot finch (Eyrthrura psittacea) has a red face that extends down the chin and throat area and is what most American aviculturists have. If you are unsure what you have, you most likely have the Red-throated species. Please check the taxonomic name to avoid any ambiguity between the two species whose common names are often confused.

Scott Golden is the Finch and Softbill Save Director. However, I will still be maintaining the online software and database. So if you have any questions about participating in the Census, please let me know. I will be happy to help in any way possible. Thank you for your help!

Feel free to cross post to any finch/softbill groups that I have not copied.

Vonda Zwick and Scott Golden
http://www.nfss-fss.org/Census/ http://www.nfss-fss.org/Census/

[WrenNAustinTX]

Done and done Though it was alittle hard going what mutations of babies i had, so in doubt i counted them are normal grays (zebras)

[delray]

I did it too!

[Colt]

Thanks for posting this Sally! I was just thinking about it.

This really is an important thing to do everyone. Some of the species were sadly under-reported last year so it becomes hard to gauge where conservation efforts should be focused.

So please, please participate. I'm going to do it right now...

[Sally]

I haven't started yet, but will try to get it done this week. As Colt said, it is so very important to participate in this census. Otherwise, the results are very misleading. It doesn't matter whether you are a member of NFSS or not, or if you are a breeder, or a pet person, whether you have one bird or 1000, they need everyone to join in the count. This is for the U.S. and Canada only.

[Colt]

So who all has participated in the Census so far? If I was as talented as KarenB I'd paint everyone a picture or something. I am a decent writer. I suppose I could write a poem pertaining to birds for each person who participates as an incentive. Or something bird related...I don't know. Perhaps you all just get a virtual cookie. lol

If you've participated post that you have. I've got three more hours at work to think of something I can do. Haha

Elana, lovezebs, you have so many species you could skew Canada's results now... ;)

And Chris103 you'd better get to counting. You've got more than me...

[KarenB]

I did mine last week

[Colt]

Yay! Well that's three members if Sally has hers completed (not counting myself).

@KarenB do you have a particular piece of artwork you'd like a poem or something with? I do sketch/draw but not as well as you.

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/ ... enix21.jpg

I really need to re-do that one. ^

These are better...

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/ ... enix21.jpg

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/ ... enix21.jpg

http://th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2 ... enix21.jpg

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/ ... enix21.jpg

But I'm sure I could churn out some nice stuff. And then I could PM for addresses to send the originals out.

Delray do you have a preference? I could try doing a sketch of Phineas and Ferb...

@KarenB

[KarenB]

Colt I have never put poetry with any of my art, but I am always trying new things. I sketched this one real quick last night using some new watercolor pencils I got for Christmas.

[Colt]

That's pretty.

And I meant as your reward for completing the census. Haha I'm attempting to bribe the U.S. and Canadian members into participating. My little sketches can't compete with your art KarenB so I thought you might like something poetic to compliment a particular piece you've done. Or I could send you a sketch too...lol

@lovezebs have you done the census yet?

[KarenB]

Colt, You could send me a chestnut grey

[Colt]

Haha we'll just see what I can do about that then...lol

[Hilary]

Colt Your art is great!

I'm done with my census input. I skipped the last couple of years, and it was depressing to see my old numbers! I cut WAY back a couple of years ago when I had the mouse issue - my last census completed showed 29 species and something close to 300 birds, but this year was 9 species and 70 birds. I'm also down to one species breeding - Senegal fire finches (not counting the occasional society clutch that sneaks by me).

[jebediah]

Done. My measly 2 birds took so ooo ooo long to enter in. ;)

[finchandlovebird]

I put my 41 Gouldians in