Mark your calendars for the Cornell Lab October Big Day on October 17. Big Days are a 24 hour opportunity to celebrate the birds both near you and around the world. Learn more about this year’s event here.
In addition, this year’s October Big Day 2020 is happening during the first Global Bird Weekend. The goal of Global Bird Weekend is to make October 17-18 the biggest ever birding weekend and to support BirdLife International’s appeal to end illegal bird trade. On October Big Day 2019, more than 20,000 participants submitted 42,700 checklists with 6,709 species. One of Global Bird Weekend’s aims is to have more than 25,000 people submit eBird checklists.
To participate:
- Watch birds anywhere on October 17 – even 10 minutes in your yard
- Enter what you see on eBird. eBird is a worldwide bird checklist program used by millions of birders. It allows Cornell Lab to compile everyone’s sightings while at the same time collecting the data for scientists to use to better understand birds. If you don’t already have a free eBird account, you can Sign up here. Enter your bird sightings on the eBird website or on their mobile app.
- Watch the sightings roll in: During the day, keep an eye on how the lists are growing in different parts of the world. Follow along with reports from more than 150 countries. Stats will be updated in real-time on the October Big Day page
No matter where you bird, have fun, stay safe, enjoy the birds you find, and share your sightings on eBird. Your observations will help to better understand global bird populations.
