By Amber Prinkey
If you love birds like we do here at Sawgrass Nature Center (I know, we say that all the time but it’s true!) then maybe you’ve heard about “Big Days.” These are citizen science days for birders all over the world to report the birds they see which then helps scientists track which birds are moving and where. Cornell Lab began involving us normal folk (if birders can be called “normal” Ha ha!) just a few years ago in 2015 with the release of the app eBird, which allows you to enter data on the birds you’ve seen and look up which birds were seen in other places. Since its release, hundreds of thousands of birders from around the world have recorded more than a BILLION observations! The app is FREE, so go ahead and download it and get in on the fun. You will be amazed at the number and variety of birds all around you.
There are now two Big Days each year, one in May and one in October. This month’s happens this weekend, on October 9th. Gathering this information is so important in a time when birds are threatened by climate change, habitat destruction, and human intervention such as skyscrapers and other window collisions. The numbers are staggering, if you don’t believe me check out this article from U.S. Fish and Wildlife and also to see how you can help.
This Yellow-Crowned Night Heron showed up at Sawgrass Nature Center’s wetland area at an unusual time, according to eBird!