Implementations &
Methods
About the UTM system
The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system is a global coordinate framework that divides the Earth into zones, each organised into a structured grid. Distances are measured in metres, making the system particularly well suited to precise spatial mapping and ecological monitoring.
Within PatchBird Surveys, a 1 × 1 km UTM grid is used to segment the landscape into uniform square units, each representing one square kilometre. This approach ensures consistent, standardised data collection across habitats, regions, and countries, providing a common spatial reference for all surveys.
Each grid square is identified by a unique UTM code corresponding to the coordinates of its bottom-left corner. This precise spatial referencing enables detailed mapping of relative abundance, facilitates comparisons between regions, and allows changes to be tracked reliably over time.
A typical example of the 1x1 km UTM Grid System overlay showing the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.
Choosing your survey spot
When contacting the project coordinator, prospective participants are asked to indicate the general area where they intend to carry out surveys. This may be a local neighbourhood, a frequently visited birding site, or an area near your workplace.
Based on this information, the project team will generate several suitable survey locations. Participants may then select one or more locations for their involvement. These locations are not public eBird Hotspots and therefore require a specific setup process.
To activate your assigned survey location, the coordinator will share an empty eBird checklist (with no species recorded) linked to that location. Once you accept the shared checklist, the location will appear in your eBird account and must be used for all PatchBird surveys. Please do not create new locations independently; always use the location provided. After your first checklist is submitted, the original empty checklist will be removed.
To enable this process, participants are asked to share their eBird username privately with the project. We also recommend marking your assigned survey location as a personal patch in eBird. Regular visits to the same site often yield unexpected and scientifically valuable observations over time.
Survey protocol
Participants conduct surveys within designated UTM grid cells using standardised eBird protocols. These protocols define survey effort clearly — including duration, distance, and method — ensuring that observations are comparable across observers, locations, and seasons.
Submitted data are analysed using established modelling approaches to estimate relative abundance. The resulting outputs include high-resolution maps and analytical summaries that reveal population patterns, seasonal dynamics, and emerging trends, helping to inform conservation priorities.
Survey Duration and Methodology
Each survey is 15 minutes long and conducted from a stationary position within a designated UTM grid square. Small movements around the survey spot is allowed (within a 30 meters radius)
Nocturnal Surveys
Nocturnal surveys are also acceptable for monitoring night-active species, provided safety measures are observed. For nocturnal species, incidental checklists are also accepted.
eBird Breeding Codes
Surveyors record all detected bird species using the eBird Breeding Codes to document behaviour indicative of breeding activity (e.g., singing males, nests).
Ethical
Considerations
Surveyors must respect property boundaries and avoid trespassing on private land without prior authorization.
Timing of Surveys & Frequency
The preferred survey period is during the morning hours, when bird activity is typically higher, ensuring optimal detection rates. Multiple counts are required during the breeding season, with a minimum interval of 10 days and a maximum of 14 days between consecutive counts.
Acessibility
For points located on open water bodies, surveys should be conducted from the nearest accessible shore with an unobstructed view. If a survey point falls on non-accessible property, the survey may be conducted from a nearby accessible location with clear visibility to the original point.
Checklist sharing
To ensure your observations are included in the PatchBird Initiative, please share your eBird checklists with the project account.
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Add eBirdUTM username to your contacts in eBird.
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Also, add eBirdUTM as a friend by ticking the checkbox in the Friends list; otherwise, the username may appear as unknown when sharing checklists.
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Once added, share each completed checklist with eBirdUTM before submission.
Further details on eBird’s checklist-sharing process are available here.