Past events: 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014
Big Bird Day 2021 is on 21 February!
How to Participate in Big Bird Day?
- Go birding anywhere you are in the world on Sunday, 21 Feb 2021
- Make a separate list (with counts of birds) for each location covered
- Upload your list(s) to eBird.org/india
- Enter your Team’s name in the comments section of the checklist
- Share your lists with the username “Big Bird Day”
- Fill this spreadsheet – http://bit.ly/BBD_2021
General Instructions:
- Upload at least one or as many lists as you can
- Each list that you upload should be of at least 15-minute duration or more with counts of all birds (no X’s) that you can identify by sight or sound to the best of your ability
- Make separate lists for separate habitats
- If you are uploading your lists to eBird then the eBird mobile app is one of the easiest ways to upload your sightings.
Here are a few video links that can guide you on how to use the App:
For queries, please contact Nikhil Devasar at [email protected]. You can also message Nikhil at 98100 08625
Important: Keeping the pandemic in mind, please be careful if you are planning any outdoor birding trips. Please do follow local health guidelines, and bird mindfully.
More about Big Bird Day
Big Bird Day is the annual day-long event of Delhibird, held every year since 2004. It’s a wonderful celebration of our avian friends through the dedication of an entire day to birdwatching and recording the number of species sighted in a region. The Big Bird Day was initially started by the DelhiBird group (created by Nikhil Devasar and Bikram Grewal) as an informal event held in February or March. The first Big Bird Day was held on February 22, 2004, when 236 species of birds were recorded across Delhi.
Every year since then, self-organised volunteer birders under the guidance of chosen group leader(s) cover the fields and wetlands in and around Delhi from early morning until late in the day to spot bird species. Over the years, the data collected have revealed the changing trends in habitat condition, bird diversity, migration and related ecological issues. In 2017, a total of 378 bird species were recorded on Big Bird Day from within the country.
In the years since 2004, volunteer birders and members of Delhibird and other groups located outside the capital started their respective Big Bird Day counts. From just a few outstation teams in 2010, there were over 30 teams participating in Big Bird Day counts in 2012, with a few teams pitching in from overseas as well. In 2013, the Big Bird Day went truly national with over 160 teams comprising over 1,000 birders coming together to celebrate the first pan-India Big Bird Day. In 2017, 6 international teams, including Singapore and Dubai, participated in Big Bird Day.
Header Image: Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris by Albin Jacob/ Macaulay Library