Bird Watching

Bird watching, or birding, is a great activity for all ages and abilities. Grab your binoculars and a field guide and see what wonderful local birds you can find!

Strip of 5 images of birds and a group of people bird watching

What is eBird? And why do we use it?

This eBird website and app lets birding enthusiasts record the species they see with real-time, online checklist. Scientists, researches, and birders - avid and casual - can have access to basic information about abundance and distribution of bird populations. 

Hotspots

Right now, most WCPARC's parks and roughly half the preserves are listed as a hotspot. eBird "hotspots" make a property's bird checklist available on the website, and enable staff to benefit from the observations made by the local birding community. If you would like to start adding observations, sign up for a free eBird account. Be sure to look for Washtenaw County parks and preserves that are hotspots in order to include your data.

Land Management

One example of how WCPARC is taking advantage of eBird data is to help with land management. This information will be used to help develop stewardship plans and monitoring in the near future.

Look for this sign in kiosks at Washtenaw County Parks & Preserve hotspots

Washtenaw County Parks is on eBird brochure

Birding Programs

Throughout the year our Naturalists offer a chance to join them on walks that focus on birds. Check out our Calendar of Events to see if any birding programs are happening near you. 

Volunteer for the Birds!

Looking for another way to help out our feathered friends? Consider becoming a nest box monitor!

Find out more information on our Volunteer Opportunities page.