Long running, citizen science data collection projects like the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count and the North American Breeding Bird Survey are more than just a fun excuse to get out and bird with other people! In fact, together they provide 60 years of comprehensive data tracking relative bird abundance in North America (and the CBC alone provides almost 120 years of winter bird data!). We're ringing in the new year with a discussion about how a festive and fun winter birding event like the CBC can actually help predict the future distribution of an invasive species just making its way into North America-- the Eurasian Collared Dove. Check out the article here: "Range Expansion and Population Dynamics of an Invasive Species: The Eurasian Collared-Dove" (Scheidt & Hurlbert, 2014).