The countdown is on! Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon 2026
Image description: A photo from the Washington Post coverage of the 2025 Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon featuring Maitreya Shah at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, with his arm in the air holding a phone using the Merlin Bird ID app to identify the bird species singing and calling around him. From the story. "
Maitreya Shah heard the bird’s distinctive chirp in a nearby tree at a botanical garden in the Maryland suburbs. But he’s blind and couldn’t see it. With his arm stretched upward, he held his iPhone up to try to capture the sound as an app identified the bird. “It’s a cedar waxwing,” the 27-year-old told his fellow blind birders as they walked on a paved path surrounded by grass and flowers at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland."There is a particular kind of anticipation that builds when migration is happening and birds are on the move. The days get longer here in the northern hemisphere, the soundscape shifts, and if you listen closely, you can literally hear the birds moving.
We are just weeks away from the 2nd Annual Global Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon, happening May 3 and 4, 2026. What we are hearing already is not just birdsong, though! It is community and preparation, and even belonging taking shape.
This event was created by and for blind and low vision birders, and it continues to grow into something both beautifully simple and deeply powerful. The bird-a-thon is a reminder that birding is not just about birds we see, but also the birds we hear. And when we are at our best, it’s also something we feel and something we share within our community.
What the Bird-a-Thon is
The Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon is a 24-hour birding event where participants identify as many species as possible by sound, or by whatever sight is available, during one day of the event.
Participants can bird anywhere that works for them. A backyard. A balcony. A favorite trail. A local park. Alone, or with others. For at least two hours or for a full day, depending on your schedule. You can participate all at once for your two hours, or feel free to listen for smaller chunks of time throughout the day. We know that the Merlin Sound ID app will be in heavy use, and we love it!
The goal is to encourage blind and partially sighted birders of all ages and experience levels to head outdoors, tune in, and celebrate the sounds that shape our world.
Full details and registration are available at https://www.birdability.org/blind-birdathon
How Individuals Can Participate
Birders who are blind or have low vision, and of any age and experience level, are invited to join. You can participate as an individual or as part of a team. You may bird alone, with friends, or with sighted volunteers.
Choose May 3 or May 4 and bird for as much of that 24-hour period as works for you. You can spread your birding time throughout the day or focus it all at once.
Bird anywhere that feels accessible and joyful. This might be your backyard, a favorite local park, an accessible trail, a balcony, a pond nearby, or a neighborhood sidewalk.
Count every species you detect by sound or sight during your 24-hour window. Use the tools that support you best, such as Merlin Bird ID, recording devices, binoculars, guidebooks, or simply listening.
Register in advance so we know you are participating. After the event, submit your species list to the Bird-a-Thon Compiler so your birds can be included in the global total. We will provide detailed information about how after you register!
Participants in the United States will be entered into a prize drawing with items donated by generous supporters. Other countries may also host local celebrations and ways to share results.
Building skills, confidence, and community
In the months leading up to May, we have been gathering for the Blind Birder Community Conversations. These sessions have been full of curiosity, laughter, and learning.
Together, participants have explored:
Birding by ear and mnemonic strategies
How to use tools like the Merlin Sound ID app from Cornell Lab to identify birds by sound
Recording and listening to bird and nature soundscapes
The wonder of migration and how to hear it
The recordings are available in a playlist on our YouTube channel.
Resources to support your Bird-a-Thon experience
If you are planning to participate or are considering it, there are many tools available to support you. Here are a few places to begin:
Birding by ear and technology
Merlin Bird ID app for sound identification from Cornell Lab of Ornithology uses your smartphone to listen to the birds around you and shows real-time suggestions for who’s singing, allowing you to identify birds near you
Tips for using Merlin with VoiceOver by Jerry Berrier
Audio recording tools ranging from simple apps to more advanced devices
Event toolkit and planning resources
The Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon Event Toolkit offers guidance for organizing outings, building partnerships, and creating welcoming experiences
Includes case studies like the partnership between MWABA and DC Bird Alliance that was highlighted in this Birdability Week 2025 webinar.
Guidance for volunteers and partners
Resources for bird clubs and Audubon chapters on how to support blind and low vision birders
Guides on how to offer assistance and lead inclusive outings
Learning library
Webinars like The Power of Birdsong, featuring Susan Glass and Jerry Berrier
Curated tools like Larkwire and All About Birds
All of these resources are designed with meaningful participation in mind and can be found at https://www.birdability.org/blind-birdathon
Listen in: Any Bird Any Body podcast
If you want to hear more about the heart of this event, we invite you to listen to this recent short informational episode from the Any Bird Any Body podcast.
Any Bird Any Body Podcast Episode 17: Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon
In this episode, you will hear directly about what makes the Bird-a-Thon so powerful and the ways you can participate in this event.
There is still time to register. We hope you will join us!
