eBird
Report Your Bird Sightings
Year-Round
The Great Backyard Bird Count ends after four days, but your own
bird counts don’t have to. Keep counting for the birds by reporting
your observations year-round to eBird!
Like the GBBC, eBird is an online program that gathers bird
observations into a database. But with eBird, the counting keeps
going. eBird lets you and your family keep detailed lists of your
own sightings, create an individualized menu of your favorite birding
spots, and much more.
WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW MANY
Log on to eBird and tell us:
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Where you birded
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When you birded
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How many of each
species you saw
eBIRD IS THE SAME, ONLY DIFFERENT
You've eBirded before–almost–when you participated in the Great
Backyard Bird Count. Only now, you can do it year-round, and you and
your family can build your own database to help you answer your own
questions.
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Common Redpolls are one of the "winter finches," absent in some
years but seemingly everywhere across the northern states and southern
provinces in others. Your backyard observations can help scientists
understand why they make these movements.
Read more about what's expected to happen with winter finch
irruptions during the winter of 2010-11.
Common Redpoll photo by Susan Drury, Yukon, 2010 GBBC.
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These are some of the questions you can answer using
eBird:
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Is a bird you just identified is unusual in your
area? eBird lets you create a map of where this species
has been reported, showing you if other people in your area are
seeing it, too.
Did crow numbers have declined in your state after West Nile
Virus appeared? eBird can create a graph of how crow numbers
may be changing in your area.
What birds might you see at a particular
location? eBird can create a bird list for any location in the
United States and Canada based on actual reports.
Is the large flock of robins you've been seeing in your
front yard over the winter typical? eBird lets you track
where robins and other bird species are being reported and in what
numbers.
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| Photo by Sarah Eagar, California, 2010 GBBC |
GET YOUR FAMILY INVOLVED
eBird is a great way to preserve your memories of birding as a
family or a group. Unlike paper checklists, the observations you submit
are preserved and accessible by you and others for all time. When did
you take that family trip to the Everglades, and what did you see?
eBird lets you check. More good reasons to get your family or community
group involved:
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You can "adopt" your favorite natural places–a local park, a school,
the grandparents' home, even your own home. Set up regular visits
weekly or monthly to this special place and input your sightings into
eBird. The more reports you provide, the more you–and researchers–will
discover about the birds that live
there.
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Getting your kids interested in eBird is a healthy pastime. The
Internet elements and map-making capabilities offer the immediacy of a
computer game. The regular features at eBird offer great opportunities
for your kids to learn about the birds they see, or that they perhaps
dream of one day seeing.
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When family or group members take turns entering eBird reports, they
take active responsibility for stewardship of the earth, something
especially important for kids, the future caretakers of our planet. The
more sightings they enter, the more invested they feel in the
environment.
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Start eBirding
today!
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