BirdGuides

‘We’re always looking for ways to unite people in their love for nature, and what better way than celebrating the diversity of birds, birders and conservation globally!’ Dale Forbes, Swarovski Optik. Global Birding was born from a small group of people, a group whose goal was to encourage active engagement in the awareness, appreciation and protection of the natural world with a massive global audience. The Covid pandemic had restricted movement across the world, but more people were taking the time when they could leave their home to notice the nature and the birds around them. Tim Appleton knew that his concept of Global Birding needed a powerful system to make the dream a reality. Chris Wood and Ian Davies at Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, which runs eBird, were keen to talk, along with Dale Forbes from Swarovski Optik. As Tim had worked so closely raising funds for BirdLife International for so many years, he called upon Jim Lawrence to find out if this new project could also help promote BirdLife’s work around the world. Everyone agreed to join forces and following on from the existing eBird Global Big Days, October 2020 saw the first Global Bird Weekend. For those restricted to their homes, Swarovski Optik hosted a massively successful ‘Birding Live on Location’ session, enabling birdwatching through the lens of enthusiastic contributors. The events for us are a 48-hour long marathon keeping up with time zones across the globe Thousands of people did manage to get out and enjoy finding and recording the birds around them. Results flew off the scale with world records broken for bird species recorded and countries joining in. Including smaller and more remote areas was a driving force to creating a truly Global Community. Scanning social media for groups and individuals who might want to join in, helping them to sign up and guiding them through the process of submitting their sightings, when for many English is very limited, is a huge task. The result of this work is humbling and often overwhelming. The events for us are a 48-hour long marathon keeping up with time zones across the globe. When teams start registering for the event, we realise the breadth of participation. From Vanuatu to Tahiti, you can be sure a Global Birding team won’t be far away. Inspiration comes from the Youth Group on Ascension Island to the entire New South Wales National Parks team attracting national TV coverage. A new three- country collaboration between Bhutan, India and Nepal saw the creation of the Himalayan Bird Count whilst the Ukrainian participants voiced their solidarity and joined in with the rest of the world. Moving away from continental participants, the Atlantic also sees a chain of island-based teams, from Rothera, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, via Gough Island, Ascension Island, Cape Verde, Canary Islands, the Azores, St Kilda, Faroe Islands and finally Iceland. Following the growth of each event, Global Big Day on 14 May 2022 saw an amazing set of statistics: 51,455 people from 201 countries submitted bird sightings to eBird, recording a total of 7,673 species. … every person and every bird counts, no matter where you are in the world Growth in participation across the world has been incredible. New groups form specifically for these events. Education is the basis for local communities of all ages and abilities to participate, learning more about the precious habitats around them and the birds which rely on these areas. Teams compete for glory in the Global Birding leader board. Individuals with a newfound love of nature take part, noting species around them. Whatever the level of participation, the message is always that every person and every bird counts, no matter where in the world you are. Travelling to take part is actively discouraged. Sharing your experiences is actively encouraged. Participants send their videos and photos for us to share to the rest of the world, bringing the Global Birding community alive and together. The simplicity of the formula gives thousands of people the chance to say that they took part. They have all contributed data crucial to monitoring the status of birds across the globe. A massive ‘Thank you’ to the amazing Global Birding Community, where Birds Unite Our World. Will you be able to say you took part? Global Bird Weekend 7, 8 & 9 October 2022 www.globalbirding.org Penny Robinson Where Birds Unite Our World Angola Tanzania Seychelles Ukraine 8 j G LOBAL B IRDFAIR 2022 “It’s unbelievably inspiring to work together with so many wonderful groups and communities, all brought together by birds. We can’t wait to see what new heights – and new people – Global Birding will continue to reach.” Ian Davies, eBird Project Leader, Cornell Lab of Ornithology