How to Prepare for a Global Big Day of Birding

Welcome to Episode 5 of the Birding Tools Podcast.

In this episode, I’ll be getting into the details about the Global Big Day, especially the Global Birding Weekend on 17 and 18 October. You’ll find out what it is and how you can get involved, so make sure you save those dates and set them aside for a weekend full of birding AND virtually connecting with other birders around the world.

Donated funds will go to BirdLife International’s project to stop the illegal trade in birds, so don’t miss out!

Even if you aren’t able to participate in this year’s Global Bird Day or Global Birding Weekend, there are other counting efforts and events that happen at other times of the year. So, this information will be helpful in that way or if you want to get started with eBird!

Oh, and I’d love to see you join me over at our Birding Tools Facebook Community! Connect with other birders and post your birding photos, wins, and questions – can’t wait to see you there.

Here’s how the episode goes

[1:30] The Global or October Big Day and Global Birding Weekend are 17 and 18 October 2020. The Global Bird Weekend was created by Tim Appleton, co-founder of Bird Fair, as a way to have fun together as a birding community to record observations during migration as well as raise funds for conservation efforts.

[2:20] eBird is a way for people around the world for people to store their observations, photos, and sound recordings for educators, scientists, and other birders.

[2:45] The first Global Big Day was in May 2015. Ultimately, the goal is to inspire people to watch and count birds on other days during the year to add to our knowledge about birds, to add to the database, and to better understand how birds are moving across landscapes.

[4:35] This first Global Bird Weekend aims to have as many people as possible come together to record observations in eBird and raise funds for conservation. Don’t forget to use the hashtags #globalbirdweekend or #globalbirding to connect with other birders

[6:22] To participate in the Global Big Day and Global Birding Weekend, first, sign up for eBird so you can enter your observations throughout the day on 17 October. Then, register as an individual or with a team on the Global Birding website so you can not only connect with other birders but also participate in raffles to win cool prizes. Finally, donate and contribute to BirdLife International’s conservation effort to stop the illegal trade on birds.

[8:20] BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership connecting and coordinating national conservation organizations in over 100 countries. All funds collected for the event will go toward this great cause.

[9:55] You don’t have to spend the whole day birding – even ten minutes in your backyard helps! Just make sure that you’re positively identifying the birds you’re listing.

[13:05] Keep a complete checklist, or a complete list of all the birds you’ve seen during your time out birding, not just the interesting ones.

[16:48] eBird is such a useful tool for those starting out birding, and it’s a wonderful way to connect with other birders and become better acquainted with the birds found in your area. The entire eBird dataset is freely available to download, and that freely available data helps conservation by shedding light on distributions of poorly known species and species conservation status.

Click here to listen!

You can also read more about getting started on our birding endeavors on our Get Started page!

P.S. If you need a hand with bird ID, head over to download our free downloadable guide here!

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Links Mentioned in this Podcast

The links mentioned in this episode are specific to the Global Big Day and Global Birding Weekend, which are both worldwide events. If you aren’t finding the resources you need to participate in these events, please reach out!