How to participate in October’s Global Big Day:

• First, get a free eBird account:

  eBird is a worldwide bird checklist program used by millions of birders, allowing a wonderful compilation of every birders’ sightings into a single massive October Big Day list.  At the same time, the collection of data assists scientists with a better understanding of the world’s birds. Sign up here. It’s 100% free.

• Next, on October 19, 2019, get out and birdwatch!

  It’s that simple. You don’t need to be a bird expert, or go out all day long. If you’re on Bonaire on Big Day, take a drive, stop anywhere and sit and count the birds.  Or, even 10 minutes in your backyard will help. October Big Day runs from midnight to midnight in your local time zone. And if you’re not lucky enough to be on Bonaire, you can report birds from anywhere in the world.

• Enter what you see and hear on eBird:

  You can enter your sightings via the eBird website or—even easier—download the free eBird Mobile app. You can enter and submit lists while you’re still out birding, and the app will even keep track of how far you’ve walked or driven, so you can focus on watching birds. While you’re downloading free apps, be sure to try out the Cornell Lab’s Merlin Bird ID app for help with bird identification. Merlin is a wonderful tool to help you identify the birds you see on  Big Day.  Simply snap a photo with your cellular phone, upload it to Merlin, and Merlin will tell you which bird it is, or the likely birds it could be.  It doesn’t get any easier than this. Please ensure that you enter and submit your sightings October 23, 2019, so that your data can be included in eBird’s initial results announcement.

• Watch the sightings roll in:

  During the day, keep an eye on how the lists are growing in Bonaire or whatever part of the world you are in. Follow along with sightings from more than 150 countries. Statistics will be updated in real-time on eBird’s October Big Day page.