This January’s the eBirder of the Month Challenge, sponsored by ZEISS, is your chance to sharpen your eBirding skills and start the year strong. Whether you’re new to eBird or a seasoned contributor, this challenge is designed to help you learn something new while maximizing your use of the eBird platform.
The eBirder of the Month will be drawn from eBirders who complete the eBird Essentials course and submit 1 or more eligible checklists in January. If you have already completed the course, just submit at least one eligible checklist in January to qualify.
We recommend the course to everyone from beginning eBirders to long-time users. The step-by-step walk-throughs and video tutorials make using eBird a breeze. Don’t believe us? According to a recent survey, 82% of respondents reported an increase in eBirding confidence after taking the eBird Essentials course.
Check out these testimonials from course participants:
“I have been hesitant to begin using eBird, unsure how or where to begin.
Thanks to this course I feel more confident on how to begin using the program.”
“Though I already use eBird regularly, this course explained details and features
I wasn’t aware of. It also described the importance of details that I normally
took for granted.”
Get Started
- Enroll in eBird Essentials course.
- Submit at least one checklist during January.
- Enjoy the benefits of improved eBirding skills.
The winner will receive a new ZEISS SFL 8×40 binocular and will be notified by the 10th of the following month. Each month we will feature a new eBird challenge and set of selection criteria. Now is the time to start submitting lists for the 2025 Checklist-a-day Challenge!
ZEISS is a proven leader in sports optics and is the official optics sponsor for eBird. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and support the vital scientific data being collected by dedicated eBirders.” – Richard Moncrief, Birding and Nature Observation Segment Manager at ZEISS