Recording Bird Sounds Part 1 | GBBC 2026

This webinar is part of our preparations for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) and Campus Bird Count (CBC).

Recording bird calls and songs is one of the best ways to identify species and contribute high-quality data to science. In this webinar, we walk you through the basics of recording bird sounds using your smartphone and getting them onto your eBird checklists.

What this webinar covers:

The Basics: Why recording sounds is helpful for bird identification.
Tools of the Trade: How to use the Merlin Bird ID app to record and identify sounds in real-time.
Best Practices: Tips for getting clear recordings (getting close without disturbing the bird, shielding from wind, etc.).
Uploading to eBird: How to attach your audio files to your eBird checklists.

Useful Links:
Great Backyard Bird Count: https://birdcount.in/counts/gbbc/
Campus Bird Count: https://birdcount.in/counts/campus-bi...
Smartphone recording tips: https://support.ebird.org/en/support/...
Merlin Sound ID Best Practices: https://support.ebird.org/en/support/...
India Ecoacoustics Network (IEN): https://indiaecoacousticsnetwork.weeb...

This session was led by Dr. Vijay Ramesh, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and co-founder of the India Ecoacoustics Network in collaboration with Bird Count India.