eBird Project: How to Add Your Birds

By joining the Garden for Birds eBird Project you are engaging in an opportunity to see our collective bird observations from around the United States and Canada in our intentionally planted gardens. This also begins your personal journey towards documenting bird changes influenced by your landscape modifications.

Join the Garden for Birds eBird Project

Only people participating in the Garden for Birds Project are permitted to join this project.

Four Simple Steps:

  1. Count birds in your garden area via eBird checklists. Keep track of the species and numbers of birds you see and hear and how long you watched. Unlike the winter Great Backyard Bird Count, you don’t have to count for as long as 15 minutes, so you can fit your birding in around your gardening work!
  2. For this project, only stationary checklists count (where you move 100 feet / 30 m or less).
  3. Make your best estimate of how many birds you saw of each species.
    • For example, 5 Northern Cardinals, 3 American Crows.
    • Huge flocks may be a challenge, but your best guess is still valuable. (If you want to take a deeper dive into counting birds, check out this resource.)
  4. Enter your list(s) online
    • Already an eBird user? Join the project and save your garden checklists to the Garden for Birds Project each time you bird in your gardens.
    • New to using eBird? See the steps below.
    • Merlin does not automatically sync to eBird projects but birds you ID in Merlin can be included in eBird checklists if you are 100% confident they were correctly identified.

It’s that simple. Make a new checklist each time you bird watch in your gardens. Add as many lists as you want!

Laura Gati / GBBC.

Two Ways to Enter Data:

eBird Mobile App

  1. Join the Garden for Birds eBird Project.
  2. Open eBird mobile on your device.
    • You should already be logged-in. If not log in using the same account details you use for GBBC, eBird, Merlin Bird ID, Project Feederwatch, Nestwatch, etc.
  3. Before you “Start checklist”, click “Choose projects“.
  4. Select “Garden for Birds“.
    • We recommend saving a specific location for your garden counts if you eBird in other locations. Give it a unique name, for example “Home Gardens.”
  5. Select “Start checklist” and proceed as you normally would.
    • Note that you can list yourself as an “anonymous birder” . Your submissions will still be included in the group count, but your eBird profile will remain hidden.

Need more help using eBird Mobile? This step-by-step guide may help.

eBird on a Computer

  1. Join the Garden for Birds eBird Project.
  2. Go to ebird.org and sign-in.
    • Log in using the same account details you use for GBBC, eBird, Merlin Bird ID, Project Feederwatch, Nestwatch, etc.
  3. Click “Submit” at the top of the eBird webpage.
  4. Click “Choose a project” in the green box near the top, and select “Garden for Birds”.
  5. Proceed as you normally would.
    • We recommend saving a specific location for your garden counts if you eBird in other locations. Give it a unique name, for example “Home Gardens.”
    • Note that you can list yourself as an “anonymous birder” . Your submissions will still be included in the group count, but your eBird profile will remain hidden.

Need help using eBird on a computer or desktop? This step-by-step guide may help.

Lovely side gardens in Pennsylvania are sure to be supporting a variety of birds. What will you see in your gardens?

Watch the birds roll in!

Check back on the Garden for Birds project on the web and watch the number of species and checklists grow as fellow gardeners across the U.S. and Canada add their observations and as birds start to benefit from your native plants!

Cedar Waxwings by Deborah Bifulco / Macaulay Library

Why did eBird make a project tool?

Project pages provide a new framework for organizations to share and integrate bird observations. Learn more about why this tool was created and the various implications for conservation initiatives.

Do I need to create an account?

If you have never participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count before, or have not participated since before 2013, you’ll need to set up an account. Merlin Bird ID app, eBird Mobile app or eBird.org will walk you through the process of setting up an account. You will be asked to provide your name and email and choose a personal username and password. Additional profile information is optional.

Stay connected to the Great Backyard Bird Count.

By subscribing to stay connected to the Great Backyard Bird Count, you agree to receive communications from The Cornell Lab, Audubon, and Birds Canada. You may unsubscribe from any of the organizations' communications at any time.