We have begun a new project recruiting and testing birding experts from around the country and beyond. After months of development and pilot testing, our web site for online tests of perceptual expertise is now up and running:
expertise.psy.vanderbilt.edu. After just a few weeks, with only cursory recruitment efforts, we have had well over 50 participants. Mike Mack deserves all the credit for his hard work putting this site together.
As part of this project, we have also created a new blog called This is Your Brain on Birds. Our goal is to share some of the past and current scientific findings with the birding community and other interested readers, as well as reflect on the insights of birders and their unique expertise. We hope that this blog will also serve as a gateway to interest and encourage even more birders to participate in our online experiments.