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Birds are facing new challenges. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is here to help

A Blue Jay populates the Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands on February 26, 2024 in Boynton Beach, Florida. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
A Blue Jay populates the Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands on February 26, 2024 in Boynton Beach, Florida. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Here & Now‘s Robin Young visits the Cornell Lab of Ornithology ahead of Global Big Day on Saturday — a big day for birders.

On Big Day, thousands of people around the world will help crowdsource sightings of birds for the lab, considered one of the leading avian research centers in the world.

People watch the lab’s feeder watch cam and use the lab’s Merlin app, which can recognize bird sounds and images. But they also upload sightings, primarily using eBird, a massive database, with both a website and downloadable app, where there are checklists birders can send in all day.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Robin Young is the award-winning host of Here & Now. Under her leadership, Here & Now has established itself as public radio's indispensable midday news magazine: hard-hitting, up-to-the-moment and always culturally relevant.

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