Global Bird Weekend

THIS event, by new organisation Global Birding in association with eBird, takes place over the weekend of 17-18 October. It aims to be the biggest ever worldwide birding event.

The idea is simple enough: first, register with Global Birding and then create an eBird account if you haven’t already got one (it’s all free), then on the Saturday, get out in the field and record all the birds you see and upload them to eBird. The next day, take your camera, phone or sketch pad to

MORE INFO

When: 17-18 October • For further information and to register or donate: www.globalbirding.org.

your favourite birding location and share your pictures on social media using the hashtags #GlobalBirdWeekend and #GlobalBirding. You can also upload your images to eBird’s dedicated Global Bird Weekend page (ebird.org/octoberbigday).

The organisers say they want to create a world record for the largest number of birds seen by the greatest number of people on what will likely be a peak weekend for autumn migration. They hope that at least 25,000 people will take part, recording more than 6,000 species. You can log onto the Global Bird

Weekend web page to see birders’ sightings from all around the world.

There’s also a serious message to the event. Global Birding is supporting BirdLife International’s conservation project to stop the illegal trade in birds. Hundreds of thousands of birds are taken from the wild to feed the trade in cagebirds or the demand for bird parts for traditional medicines or ornamentation. This is driving some species to extinction. Global Birding is asking all those who participate in the Global Birding Weekend to donate what they can to this cause. ■