Today, 2015’s Global Big Day, everyone on the planet is invited to count the birds they see or hear, note the species and submit observations to www.ebird.org so that a global count can be made. You need not be an expert bird enthusiast, just someone who loves the birds in your own backyard. 
A big day is akin to a big year, “an informal competition among birders to see who can see or hear the largest number of species of birds within a single calendar year and within a specific geographical area.” (See Wikipedia for more information). I first came across the practice in ‘The Big Year‘ with Owen Wilson, Jack Black and Steve Martin as competitive birders in a movie based on a true story. 
Inspired by the movie, this January I decided to start tracking the number of bird species I was able to see or hear in my local area. Nature obliged. One little bird told another little bird and amazingly, birds I hadn’t seen in years were suddenly visible again. Even ones I hadn’t ever seen locally seemed to come out of the woodwork. I’ve never seen as many bird species in my yard in such a short span of time. Last month I set up a birdwatching station in my preschool room. Bird feeders were hung on a tree near a window. Pictures identifying local birds were placed next to the window so that children knew exactly what to look for in the wooded area behind our room. In just a few weeks’ time, children have gone from saying ‘there’s a bird’ to ‘there’s a mourning dove’ and ‘I see two chickadees and a boy woodpecker.’ We’ve thrilled at the sight of brilliant red cardinals, ‘kissing’ mourning doves, and an enormous pileated woodpecker.
If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come. ~ Chinese Proverb
Birds enhance our lives with their beauty and song. They witness our comings and goings as we move in and out of buildings and are an important part of our cityscapes, landscapes and seascapes. Share your enthusiasm today by taking an inventory of what you see in your own backyard. You’ll be glad you did.
For more information and to record your observations for current and subsequent years, please visit ebird’s Global Big Day at Global Big Day
Text and photographs copyright Amy-Lynn Bell 2015 – 2022
Flandrum Hill 
Do you think the birds were there all along and you only saw them when you really LOOKED ? or are they truly new birds in your neck of the woods ? That’s super about the Pileated Woodpecker — love the ripply photo through the window.
The kids in your day care are lucky to have you. What you are teaching them will stay with them all their lives through.
I’d love to see a Cardinal at my feeders. I have seen Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Juncos, Chickadees, Sparrows and Blue Jays …
That’s a wonderful Chinese Proverb.
Sybil, it’s quite possible that they were always there. The pileated woodpecker has been quite a thrill to see, both here and at work.
Yes I’m sure those children will always have a special place in their little hearts for the chickadees. 🙂
I’d love to see a cardinal at my feeders too. Perhaps if we keep a green bough (covered in fresh, juicy berries) in our hearts, the singing cardinals will come 😉
We don’t see much variety in the city – but I do love to stop and watch their behavior: mockingbirds giving other birds – sometimes two or three times their size – the “business”; sparrows perched on top of street signs or rooftops, protecting their nests; green-tinted flocks of parrots – started by a couple of pets that escaped from their cages and now looking for palm trees to tear into…I always come home with some new sight to savor.
Aubrey, those green-tinted flocks of parrots would be such a wonderful sight to behold. I see a lot of birds on my home from work and often regret that I can’t recognize them enough to know them by name. They are marvelous non-the-less as I savor the sight of them too 🙂