Hello fellow Birders!

On Saturday the 4th of May it is Global Big Day!
Global Big Day is where volunteers from all around the world go out bird watching and record all their bird sightings on an online program called eBird. eBird is a worldwide checklist program that compiles bird sightings into a massive single list. This data can then be used by scientists and researchers to better understand and conserve the birds of this world.

Last year on Global Big Day, over 30,000 people around the world participated in bird watching and over 7,000 species of birds were sighted and recorded in a single day!

The UTAS Avian Club would love to get our birding community involved in this project this year! We have organised a little birding competition for this Global Big Day where you can have the chance to win some great prizes!

How to participate:

1. Register as ‘going’ to this event and get an eBird Account (It’s free!)
If you are interested in participating with the UTAS Avian Club for this event, then please RSVP on the event page by clicking ‘going’. Then register yourself with a free eBird Account online. This is where you can record all of your bird sightings to the worldwide database.
You do not need to be a UTAS Avian Club Member to participate in this event but if you would like to join us for our birding tours at the Sandy Bay Campus then a gold coin donation from non-members would be greatly appreciated!

2. Go bird watching on the 4 th of May
The UTAS Avian Club are aiming to gather data on birds around the University of Tasmania Sandy Bay Campus. We will be hosting small birding tours around the campus from 8.30am till 10 am. Bird guides and binoculars will be on offer to aid in spotting and identifying birds. Tea and biscuits will be provided after the surveys.
You are welcome to join the group or go birding around the campus in your own time! You don’t need to spend the whole day bird watching, even just stepping outside for half an hour where ever you are and recording what you see and hear will help!

3. Record what you see and hear and enter our competition!
You can enter all your sightings via your eBird account on the eBird website or via the Free eBird Mobile App. It also contains a checklist of what you should record (e.g. number of birds, sex, location, additional comments etc). Photos can also be taken and added to the checklist.
Keep a list of the number of species you have spotted and send it to the UTAS Avian Club Facebook messenger or email by midnight to enter our birding competition! The top three birders who spot and accurately identify the most birds will win the following:

First prize: One groovy Fairtrade Palm Cockatoo Canvas Bag and a handmade Landcare bird card. Second prize: A snazzy bird badge and a handmade Landcare bird card. Third prize: A handmade Landcare bird card.

4. Keep and eye on the bird count!
Throughout Global Big Day, you can literally watch the bird lists growing from different parts of the world! You can keep track of live bird sightings from over 150 different countries! Real time stats will be uploaded to the Global Big Day page.

You can find more information on Global Big Day on the eBird website. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you on the 4 th of May for some bird watching!