Last weekend, I had the opportunity to take a field trip to the Lab of Ornithology to walk the trails and take a tour of the facility’s lab space. I had never actually been before, so I was quite eager to see what it was like. We started off with the walk, and while we didn’t get to see many birds, it was very peaceful and served as an opportunity to center ourselves during this busy time of the semester. There’s just something oddly soothing about being surrounded by birdsong…

By far, my favorite part of the trip was the tour of the actual lab space. Being an aspiring biologist myself, I was really interested to see how an organization like the Lab of O accomplishes the majority of its research. I mean, with millions of bird species and more being discovered every day, the scale of such a project is staggering. Their solution? “Citizen science”. I lost count of how many times they mentioned it, but the basic principle is this: there are so many people in the world with a passion for nature, and while they may not have a formal education in the subject, they still have a wealth of information stemming from personal experiences that they can contribute to scientific exploration. In an effort to tap into this plethora of knowledge, the Lab of O has set up an extensive network of resources where amateur scientists can enter their data and actually contribute to the advancement of the field they love so much.  And I just think that’s so cool. What other field is so easily accessible to the public? I’ve always believed that the only way to get people excited about something is to get them involved, and the Lab of O is doing just that. At this rate, they’ll have the next generation of budding ornithologists in no time.

All in all, it was very cool experience, and I would love to make another visit later in the spring or early summer when all the trees are in bloom. Would recommend.