Have you heard of “birding”? On May 8, people all over the world will be doing quite a lot of it! You may have done it yourself, even if you have never heard the term before. Global Big Day, otherwise known as Bird Day, is a time for bird-lovers everywhere to rejoice by doing plenty of bird-watching (or “birding”).

According to eBird.org, 2020 was a historic year for the virtual congregation of birders, establishing a new world record. Emerging from most countries around the world, over 50,000 participants joined in via their devices and contributed to the festivities.

How to Participate in Bird Day

You do not need to be an expert to become a birder for the day. All you need to do is pick a time during the day and watch birds from wherever you are, even if it is just for a few minutes, and then post what you saw. Use either the eBird website or mobile app to create a checklist and share your contributions.

If you are not sure what bird you are looking at, Merlin Bird ID from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a free app for instant identification. With it, you can fill out some basic characteristics of the bird you saw or even use one of your own photos to locate a match. Once you have identified the bird and added it to your eBird checklist, you can upload the photo you took for a chance to see it on display on the Global Big Day page, if you’d like.

Where and Why to Increase Your Bird-Watching Proficiency

Are you a complete novice when it comes to birding and you do not know what to look for or how to start? Cornell Lab has you covered on that front, too. You can visit the Bird Academy and enroll for free in the eBird Essentials course, empowering you with greater confidence in time for Bird Day.

For an added incentive, your eBird checklist helps science. By reporting on the birds, you see in your local community or wherever you happen to be that day, you help ornithologists (bird scientists) understand their subjects better.

If you have your own little bird pal here in Hawaii, Bird Day is also a great time to bring him or her in for a wellness check. Visit or call any of our three locations and we will be happy to serve you.