Ready, set—BIRD! It’s time again to flock together for the season’s biggest day of birding!
Get ready for a spectacular October Big Day (OBD)! This annual event, falling on Saturday, October 10, 2026, coincides with World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) and is a thrilling celebration of our feathered friends and the vibrant birding community.
At BirdsCaribbean, we eagerly anticipate October Big Day. This massive citizen science event is a wonderful opportunity for us to unite with fellow bird lovers to share in the joy of birdwatching and the beauty of Caribbean wetlands, forests, botanical gardens, and neighborhoods. This is our chance to celebrate Caribbean birds, support science, reconnect with our communities, and strengthen our conservation efforts.
October 10 is truly the moment to puff out our chests and rack up those eBird checklists!
And there’s more! Global Bird Weekend runs from October 9 to 11, offering even more opportunities to engage and possibly set new world records. Plus ladies, there’s a Women’s Team that anyone, from anywhere, can join!
Last October, nearly 900,000 participants set a new benchmark for collective birding action. 48,000 eBirders collectively reported 2.1 million individual bird observations and made Saturday the first day in October ever to surpass 100,000 checklists in a single day.
With birds facing habitat loss, climate change, and steep population declines, let’s push the boundary even further and make history all over again!
Checklists for conservation
Every checklist submitted gives scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and beyond, real-time, worldwide insights into bird populations, migration patterns, and important habitats that might be at risk. Without the collective effort of birdwatchers like you, gathering such a vast and diverse dataset would be impractical, making your participation essential to understanding and protecting birds in the Caribbean and across the globe.
The information you collect and share helps paint a clearer picture of how bird populations are faring in the face of devastating threats, like habitat loss and climate change. By identifying where birds are thriving or declining, conservationists can make informed decisions about where to focus their efforts, implement protective measures, and advocate for policies that safeguard these species. Ultimately, your observations translate to the protection and survival of birds — but they also form part of your legacy, part of the mark that you chose to make on the world. A legacy of care ensures that future generations can continue to enjoy the beauty and diversity of our beloved birds.
Here are some tips to make the most of your big weekend of birding:
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Get (or dust off) your eBird account: If you don’t already have a free eBird account, it’s easy to sign up. Here’s a quick guide to using eBird. The handy mobile app lets you record and submit sightings while you’re out birding, explore nearby hotspots, and even track how far you have walked. Remember to submit your eBird checklists before October 13, 2026 to be included in the initial results announcement!
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Keep checklists short and focused: Submit a separate checklist for each location you visit. These are much more valuable to science than one list covering the whole day. Learn more here.
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Birding at a wetland? Make your observations count twice! Select both the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) and International Shorebird Survey (ISS) projects on eBird. Learn more here.
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Connect locally: Join a local event or team, or invite a friend to bird with you! Birdwatching can be a peaceful solo activity, but it’s also a fantastic social experience and a great way to make new friends. There’s so much to learn from fellow birders, too! They can help you spot and identify tricky birds (especially warblers and shorebirds), navigate the eBird app, and submit your very first checklist.
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Count every bird: By submitting complete checklists of the birds you see and hear you gives scientists a comprehensive understanding of the bird community in your area. Counting birds is easy—until you encounter a huge flock especially one with multiple species! Keep calm and check out eBird’s helpful tips for counting large and mixes-species flocks here. And here’s a short reel with additional tips for counting flocks of shorebirds!
Some additional tips from the OBD veterans:
- Don’t wing it: Make a packing list and bring a backpack! Remember your field guide, stylish (and functional!) BirdsCaribbean buff, medications, water, snacks, and other essentials. If you’re birding somewhere unfamiliar, plan ahead. Think about where to park, how long you’ll be out, and how far you want to walk. And be sure to let friends or family know where you’re going and when you expect to return.
- Embrace being a beginner birder: If you’re a newbie, don’t let uncertainty keep you from discovering the wonderful world of birds! Early mornings are great for spotting warblers, while raptors often soar as the day heats up. Keep an eye out for gulls and shorebirds along the coast, and you might catch tanagers and bullfinches at their most active in the late afternoon.
Record Bird Sounds on October Big Day
Last year, 2,780 sound recordings were uploaded on October Big Day. With the new audio upload in eBird Mobile it’s easier than ever to collect bird sounds with your favorite recording app (we recommend Merlin Sound ID) and add them to your eBird checklists.
We challenge you to upload at least one sound recording on Saturday, 10 Oct following our recording best practices. We especially need more recordings from the Caribbean to improve Merlin’s ability to identify birds in the region! If every eBirder uploads one sound recording on October Big Day, that would mean 50,000 more bird sounds archived in the Macaulay Library—a 1700% increase in recordings over last year’s event, and six times as many recordings as Global Big Day 2026!
Show off your bird sightings and share the fun!
Don’t forget to share your birding stories and photos with us on social media. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @birdscaribbean and tag us in your posts. If social media isn’t your thing, join our discussion group with over 950 members to share your October Big Day adventures.
And if you’re excited about diving deeper into the wonderful world of birds, why not become a BirdsCaribbean member? Enjoy discounts on products, workshops, and conferences; connect with fellow birders, scientists, educators, and conservationists across the region; and stay up to date with Caribbean bird news through our monthly newsletters.
Join us today to help protect Caribbean birds and their habitats.
Let’s make October Big Day 2026 unforgettable. Have fun, stay hydrated, and don’t forget to tag @BirdsCaribbean in your birding adventures!