Dakota Science Center begins bird count The Dakota Science Center partners with schools to bring Project Feeder Water into the classroom, which is a winter-long survey of birds visiting feeders across North America. Students periodically count the number of each species they see at their feeders from November through early April. The counts are submitted to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This data collection helps scientists track broad-scale movements of winter bird populations, as well as long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. This fall the Dakota Science Center is helping the Cornell Lab of Ornithology by participating in the Bur Oak acorn collection study. Mature acorns from bur oaks are being collected across the Midwest to determine their distribution. The data collected will help the Cornell Lab of Ornithology determine the availability of this food source for birds. If you would like to collect acorns for this study please contact the Dakota Science Center (Laura Munski 772-8207 or lmunski@yahoo.com).