Birds on Your Land
A critical first step in strategic conservation is knowing where, when, and what species of wildlife occur on your land. eBird, a Citizen Science project operated by the Cornell Lab, is an important tool available to land trusts for determining the presence/absence of bird species, monitoring populations, storing and visualizing data, and engaging the bird watching community. Below we describe the many facets of eBird and provide instructions for getting the most out of this easy to use, yet powerful resource.
Citizen Science project operated by the Cornell Lab, is an important tool available to land trusts for determining the presence/absence of bird species, monitoring populations, storing and visualizing data, and engaging the bird watching community. Below we describe the many facets of eBird and provide instructions for getting the most out of this easy to use, yet powerful resource.
What Is eBird?eBird is one of the largest repositories of biodiversity data in the world, harnessing the passion and enthusiasm that people have for birds and turning it into a powerful tool for research, conservation, and community engagement.
- How to Use eBird
Explore how to use eBird, including a free, 20-minute eBird Essentials course offered by Bird Academy and get started using hot spots or group accounts if you wish to engage the public with data collection on your preserves.
- Benefits of eBird
eBird is an important tool for storing and visualizing data, informing grant applications, engaging your community, monitoring and evaluating management, and informing planning and land prioritization.
- Land Trusts Using eBird
Explore the map above to learn how land trusts from all over the country are utilizing eBird for activities such as community engagement, bird monitoring, community science, assessment and evaluation of land management, land prioritization, and decision making across their service areas….
- Merlin Bird ID
Merlin Bird ID helps you identify birds you see and hear. Merlin is unlike any other bird app—it’s powered by eBird, the world’s largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos. Merlin offers four different ways to identify birds.
- NBHCI Mapping Tool
The Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative has launched an interactive mapping tool using eBird data designed to aid northeastern conservation practitioners and organizations in advancing conservation.
- eBird Status and Trends
See seasonal abundance patterns that reveal migratory pathways and when and where species occur as well as where bird populations are increasing or decreasing at local and regional scales. Building knowledge about status and trends will also help us answer questions about climate change, using birds as environmental indicators.
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The Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative will send you updates about funding opportunities and ways to work with partners to protect birds and further your land conservation goals. We’ll highlight resources to assist with bird conservation on private lands, showcase tools and data visualizations to assist with planning and stewardship, and share success stories from the field.