VSP October Big Day Bird Count

Mark your calendars for October Big Day—12 Oct 2024! Like Global Big Day, October Big Day is an opportunity to unite around our shared love of birds. Last October, nearly 35,000 people from 185 countries submitted 83,735 checklists with eBird, demonstrating the power of birds to bring people together.

Wherever you are on 12 October, take a few minutes to join in this global celebration. Participate from anywhere—even from home! By taking part in October Big Day you’re also celebrating Global Bird Weekend and World Migratory Bird Day. Be a part of the global team and help set a new record for October birding.

How to participate

• Get an eBird account: eBird is a worldwide bird checklist program used by millions of birders. It’s what allows us to compile everyone’s contributions into a single massive October Big Day list—while at the same time gathering data to help scientists better understand birds. Sign up here. It’s 100% free from start to finish.
• Watch birds on 12 Oct: It’s that simple. You don’t need to be a bird expert or go out all day long, even 10 minutes of birding from home counts. October Big Day runs from midnight to midnight in your local time zone. You can report what you find from anywhere in the world.
• Enter what you see and hear in eBird: You can enter your observations via our website or download the free eBird Mobile app to make submitting lists even easier. Please enter your checklists no later than 17 Oct to be included in the results announcement.
  
• Watch the results roll in: During the day, follow along with bird reports from more than 180 countries in real-time on our October Big Day page.

eBird Trip Reports on October Big Day

eBird Trip Reports are a great way to share where you went and the birds you found on October Big Day. We had so much fun exploring eBird Trip Reports from last October and can’t wait to see more this year!

Simply create an eBird Trip Report for 12 October 2023. As you submit lists and upload media throughout the big day, they’ll be added to your report automatically. Send the trip report link to friends and family so they can follow along. (Learn more about eBird Trip Reports)

[VSP hours to be recorded in VMS under: “iNaturalist, eBird and Other Citizen Science: TMN Report Hours”] Maximum 18 hours per day