PATCHBIRD EXPLORER
AMPLIANDO EL CONOCIMIENTO SOBRE LAS AVES MÁS ALLÁ DE LOS HOTSPOTS.
PatchBird Surveys are designed around flexibility. Surveyors choose when to visit their grids, allowing participation to fit naturally into different schedules, regions, and birding habits. This principle remains unchanged.
Alongside this open approach, PatchBird now introduces two optional annual anchor dates. These are joining opportunities, not obligations — moments when surveyors can contribute a single, structured count to a shared global snapshot.
Over time, these anchor dates will help build a growing archive of comparable observations, while also offering an easy entry point for new participants and an opportunity to explore new grids without long-term commitment.
AMPLIANDO EL CONOCIMIENTO SOBRE LAS AVES MÁS ALLÁ DE LOS HOTSPOTS.
AMPLIANDO EL CONOCIMIENTO SOBRE LAS AVES MÁS ALLÁ DE LOS HOTSPOTS.
Midwinter offers a particularly valuable window for bird monitoring. Communities are relatively stable, movement is reduced, and detectability is often higher than during migration periods. Even one-off surveys can provide meaningful insight when repeated across years at fixed locations.
During the PatchBird Midwinter Counts, surveyors are invited to:
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Select any available PatchBird grid
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Conduct a standard 15-minute stationary count
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Submit a complete checklist via eBird using the PatchBird Surveys protocol
No repeat visits are required. However, some surveyors may find that a winter visit sparks interest in covering the same square during other seasons — an option that remains entirely voluntary.
AMPLIANDO EL CONOCIMIENTO SOBRE LAS AVES MÁS ALLÁ DE LOS HOTSPOTS.
AMPLIANDO EL CONOCIMIENTO SOBRE LAS AVES MÁS ALLÁ DE LOS HOTSPOTS.
Each May, birders worldwide participate in eBird Global Big Day, generating one of the largest synchronised bird datasets of the year.
PatchBird aligns with this momentum by encouraging participants to:
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Cover a PatchBird grid while already birding on the day
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Choose under-surveyed or unfamiliar areas where possible
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Apply the same standardised PatchBird survey method
While Global Big Day is celebratory in nature, repeated PatchBird contributions on this date can, over time, help document changes in breeding-season presence, relative abundance, and spatial coverage.
AMPLIANDO EL CONOCIMIENTO SOBRE LAS AVES MÁS ALLÁ DE LOS HOTSPOTS.
These anchor dates are not intended to replace regular PatchBird Surveys, nor do they impose fixed schedules. Their purpose is simply to make participation easier, to encourage exploration of new or under-surveyed grids, and to create shared reference points that strengthen the dataset over time without reducing flexibility.
Whether you contribute once, return occasionally, or later decide to adopt a grid, every structured count adds value and helps build a clearer picture of change across landscapes and seasons.