Looking for ways to get more involved in birding during the pandemic? Try participating in October Big Day 2020 on Saturday, October 17! Sponsored by Cornell University, this 24-hour event collects data from people all around the world to help scientists develop a better understanding of current bird populations and distribution. It’s easy to participate – all you need is an eBird account! It’s free to sign up, and with the free mobile phone app, you can report your sightings on the go. Not familiar with eBird? You’re in for a treat! This citizen science tool is a bird checklist program used by millions of birders to report their sightings. Not only does it allow you to capture your own information, but it also puts a treasure trove of historical data collected from other birders at your fingertips. In addition, during global birding events such as this you will be able to watch results in real-time as others submit their information. You can participate anytime during the 24-hour event, which starts and ends at midnight, and bird anywhere you like – even your own backyard! You also have the flexibility to decide how much time you would like to spend. There’s no need to bird all day – even 15 minutes will provide valuable data. If you would like to venture out a little further, I encourage you to visit some of the parks in the League City area. With different habitats in each park, you can see a wide variety of species without going far from home. Not sure where to start? Watch my October video to learn more about some of our local birding hotspots. To get ready for October Big Day, visit ebird.org/octoberbigday, where you can register for eBird if you haven’t already done so. We would love to see a lot of reports from right here in League City! #LeagueCityBirding Contributed by Kristine Rivers, founder of Birding for Fun