Birding calendar

The yearly bird counts anyone can join, in date order, with how to take part and a checklist to bring. Dates are checked on each organiser’s site.

• Aussie Backyard Bird Count

  19–25 October 2026Australia’s biggest bird survey: during National Bird Week, people count the birds they see in 20 minutes, in a garden, park or anywhere outdoors, and submit them to BirdLife Australia.

• Christmas Bird Count

  14 December 2026 – 5 January 2027 (the 127th count)The longest-running community bird survey: volunteers count every bird in a fixed circle 15 miles (24 km) across on one day, and the results have tracked bird populations since the first count in 1900.

• RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

  Next: expected 29–31 January 2027 (the last weekend of January; in 2026 it was 23–25 January)The UK’s biggest garden wildlife survey: over one weekend in late January, people spend an hour counting the birds in a garden, balcony or park, and the results track how garden birds are doing.

• Great Backyard Bird Count

  12–15 February 2027A four-day count in February when people around the world count the birds they see and report them, building a snapshot of where birds are in late winter.

• Global Big Day

  Next: expected Saturday 8 May 2027 (it is held on a Saturday in early to mid May; in 2026 it was 9 May)A single day in May when birders everywhere go out and record every bird they can, submitting checklists to eBird.

• World Migratory Bird Day

  Next: expected 8 May and 9 October 2027 (the second Saturdays of May and October; in 2026, 9 May and 10 October)A campaign day held twice a year, because birds migrate at different times in the northern and southern hemispheres, to celebrate migratory birds and the places they need along their routes.

Migration seasons don’t have fixed dates: they move with latitude and weather. The migration map shows what has been reported recently.