May is just around the corner, and it’s time for the Global Big Day, from our friends from Cornell and eBird. Participation is really easy. All you have to do is go birding for at least a few minutes, and submit your sightings to eBird. You probably didn’t need an excuse to go enjoy birds on a lovely weekend day in May anyway, and if you’re anything like me, birding and eBird go together. This time, on that day, though, you’ll be participating in something much bigger.
Last year’s Global Big Day featured more than 60% of the world’s bird species in a single day. Sightings came in from more than 17,000 eBirders spread across 154 countries.
The eBird folks offer some tips to preparing for the Global Big Day. Here are three quick ways to have the most fun:
- “Scout” your birding spots for May 13. Finding where the birds are ahead of time makes the big day birding more fun, and also gives you more chances to be out enjoying birds. Perfect. Learn how to use eBird to find birds.
- Use eBird Mobile. This free data-entry app makes it so you don’t have to enter your sightings at the end of the day, and tools like Quick Entry mean you have less time with your face in a notebook. Get eBird Mobile here.
- Get a friend involved. Perhaps this is a good birding buddy, or someone who has never been birding before. Make it a friendly competition, or join forces as a Global Big Day team, and put your marker on the global participation map. Share on social media using #eBird_GBD. Check out the Facebook event.
No matter what you do—have a great time, enjoy the birds around you, and let us know what you find!