eBird Tips and Trick: Maximizing Your Use of the World’s Largest Citizen Science Database

eBird is a free, global, web-based platform and app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that lets birdwatchers log their bird sightings (checklists) to create a massive, public database used for science, conservation, and education. It turns birders into citizen scientists, collecting vast amounts of data on bird abundance and movement that helps researchers understand bird populations and habitats. Will Johnson serves as the regional eBird reviewer for Brevard, Volusia, Flagler, St.Johns River and Indian River counties and contributes to local environmental organizations as a frequent guest speaker and tour leader. A lifelong resident and avid birder of east-central Florida, Will has developed expertise on local birdlife and is particularly knowledgeable about this area’s migration patterns, vagrancy trends, and biogeography. In addition to spending extensive time in the field, Will enjoys expressing his love of birds through art and illustration and has had his artwork featured in local and national publications. Will recently graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, and he now works for a climate tech startup supporting nature-based carbon removal projects. In this Bird Chat with Orange Audubon, Will will share eBird Tips and Tricks. Contact Will at [email protected] Photo: Belted Kingfisher Bryan Calk Macauley Library. Courtesy eBird. Recorded Jan 27, 2026, 26 people online