The 2nd Annual Global Blind Birders Bird-a-Thon is Coming
Image description: a group of people walks together along a paved path in a lush, green park. Several individuals at the front of the group are using white canes. Some people are smiling and conversing as they walk. Most wear casual clothing and hats for sun protection, and many carry backpacks. Trees and grass surround them, with more people visible in the background, at this event on Sunday, May 18th, for the first national blind birder bird-a-thon at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton. (Photos by Robb Hill/For The Washington Post)
Get ready for it, friends - the 2nd Annual Global Blind Birders Bird-a-Thon is happening Sunday, May 3, and Monday, May 4, 2026, and you’re invited to join from wherever you are in the world. Birders with blindness or low vision everywhere can register on the Birdability site to learn more as we get closer to a chance to take part in this joyful celebration of sound, skill, and community. Whether you’re listening from your backyard balcony or favorite park, or at an accessible outing or trail, you’ll be part of a global chorus of birders proving that birding truly is for every body and every mind. For 2026, we will be welcoming partner organizations from across the world to join us in celebrating and uplifting birding by ear. Each country will compile its own species list and collectively we will make a global impact!
Building momentum through community
Image description: Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon 2025 meet-up in Brightside Farm Park in Malvern organized by Natanya Sortland who also invited a local “birdsong expert” from the Valley Forge Audubon Society to lead the group. Seven birders stand, some with white canes, in a grassy field during the event, smiling at the camera.
In the months leading up to the Bird-a-Thon, we’re gathering the flock for the Blind Birder Community Conversations Series, a set of interactive Zoom sessions designed by and for blind and low vision birders. These sessions will help participants build skills, confidence, and connection while sharing the joy of birding by ear and by heart. Together we’ll explore mnemonics and sound identification, learn about recording and tech tools, dive into bird behavior and migration, and connect with experts and community members along the way.
Each session will be recorded and shared, so no one misses out.
Upcoming sessions
Tuesdays at 7 pm Eastern unless noted
November 18, 2025 – Mnemonics and Birding by Ear with Jerry Berrier
December 9, 2025 – Using the Merlin App for Identification with Alli Smith from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
January 20, 2026 – Using Equipment and Apps to Record Bird Sounds with Jerry Berrier
February 2026 – Bird Behaviors with John Kricher (exact date announced soon)
March 10, 2026 – Migration with Scott Widensaul
April 14, 2026 – Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon Info Session
Image description: A group of blind birders, holding white canes and listening intently to birdsong in a local park with paved trails, participates in an outing organized in Venezuela during the 2025 event.
Join us
Save the dates. Register for the Community Conversations. Share this with your networks of blind and low vision birders. And get ready to celebrate connection, community, and the joy of birds throughout the next year and participate in the birdathon this May.
