Global Big Day—one week away

The familiar Barn Swallow (right) has been recorded in eBird from 222 countries. You can hope to spot a Barn Swallow almost anywhere on the planet, from Alaska to Argentina, Siberia to Australia, Iceland to South Africa. Barn Swallows criss-cross the equator and traverse the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Their movements not only span an entire planet of birds, but connect a worldwide community of birders.

In the same way, Global Big Day and eBird connect all of your local birds with the rest of the world, making a real difference in the collective understanding of birds worldwide. On 13 May, every bird that you report contributes to the global team total for an unprecedented snapshot of our planet’s bird diversity. Every bird counts.

To join the Global Big Day team from more than 150 countries, all you have to do is go birding on 13 May! More than 1,000 people have already marked where they’ll be on Global Big Day. Where will you be? Nobody can cover your favorite birding site as well as you can. Go out and make a difference. Have a birding friend or know an expert guide in Africa or somewhere else that needs coverage? Shoot them a message and invite them to join the team!

Looking for some inspiration in the final days before Global Big Day? Here are three of our tips for maximizing success and fun:

1. Plan it out. Where are you going to go on 13 May? What are you looking for? A specific species? Map it out. Is there a bird that wasn’t seen on last year’s Global Big Day in your county/state/province/country that you know you could find this year? See last year’s results here.
2. Do something new. Want to find a bird you’ve never seen before? Check out your eBird Targets. How about that hotspot down the road that you’ve always wanted to visit? Find your new favorite birding spot. Make this a day to get out early and listen for owls and nightjars.
3. Share the fun. Birding is almost always more fun when you’re making memories with other people. Grab a friend or reach out to a new birder. See what you can find. Take this chance to make 13 May 2017 a Global Big Day that you’ll remember for years to come.

So that’s it. Go on out and have a blast. And don’t forget that your Global Big Day eBirding can win you binoculars or a free Ornithology course! Make it count.

As a united team of Global Big Day birdwatchers, together we can fill in the range map for Barn Swallow and the 10,000 other species of birds that share this planet with us.

A world of birders has already marked out where they’ll be on 13 May. Where’s your place? Add it today.