"A bird a day keeps the doldrums away." That line opens a 2017 Audubon magazine piece on one of the simplest games in birding: try to find a new species every day, and keep the run alive as long as you can. Birdaday Field Notes is an independent, sourced reference built around that idea. It explains the challenge, gives you a free tracker to play it, and collects the backyard basics (feeders, food, nest boxes, identification) that make a long streak possible.
What is the Bird-a-Day challenge?
The rules are short. You log one bird species per day. In the words of Audubon contributing editor Rene Ebersole, who played it publicly in 2011, "The goal is never to repeat a species, nor to go a day without seeing a new one." Early on it is easy: the first days of the year let you pick from everything at your feeder. The hard part comes weeks later, once the common birds are spent and you have to go looking.
Audubon says most people don't last a month or two, and only a rare few keep going past six months. Ebersole's 2012 run ended with a Rock Pigeon on April 1, Day 92. In 2015 a field-naturalist newsletter in Victoria, Australia, reported that a retired Australian couple were the only birders worldwide to see a bird a day for the whole of 2014.
There used to be an online version of the game at this address. Audubon pointed readers to birdaday.net as an "online competition" where you could "log your daily observations in a public forum." Tropical Audubon Society says that site was created by Trey Mitchell, a Miami software developer and nature photographer, so that "birders from all over the world could post and share their observations." Mitchell died unexpectedly in November 2017. This site is not connected to his project. We only document the idea he helped popularize, using published sources.
Read the full challenge guide and strategy →
Start today: the free streak tracker
Our Bird-a-Day streak tracker runs in your browser. Type the species you found today. It flags repeats, counts your streak, and shows the day number. Nothing is uploaded. If your browser allows local storage, your list is saved on your device only. To plan ahead, the species planner turns your own list into a month-by-month hit list.
Backyard guides
A long streak is built on knowing your yard. These reference pages pull their numbers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, the Smithsonian and university extension services:
Northern CardinalField marks, song and chip, best feeder foods, nest facts and a month-by-month year chart.Black-capped ChickadeeSide-by-side field marks, songs, the hybrid zone, nest-box sizes and a chickadee year chart.American RobinMale, female and juvenile field marks, song, worms vs fruit, nest facts and where robins go in winter.Blue JayCrest and wing marks, western look-alikes, hawk mimicry, acorn caching, feeder foods and a nesting timeline.American GoldfinchBreeding vs winter field marks, a Jan–Dec molt and nesting calendar, look-alikes, nyjer and sunflower tips.Mourning DoveField marks, look-alikes, the coo and wing whistle, millet tips, nest cones and a nesting timeline.Downy WoodpeckerDowny Woodpecker profile with a side-by-side Hairy table: bill, outer tail feathers, calls, suet tips and nest timelines.Ruby-throated HummingbirdMale and female field marks, Black-chinned and Rufous look-alikes, a spring and fall migration calendar, feeder rules and nesting figures.House FinchMale and female field marks, Purple and Cassin's Finch compared, feeder foods, nesting figures and what to do about House Finch eye disease.Dark-eyed JuncoWhite outer tail feathers, Slate-colored, Oregon and four other forms drawn side by side, trill and chip calls, ground-feeding tips and nesting figures.Carolina WrenWhite eyebrow and cocked tail, House and Bewick's Wrens drawn side by side, the teakettle song, suet and brush piles, nesting figures and NestWatch box sizes.Eastern BluebirdMale and female field marks, Western and Mountain Bluebirds compared, a nesting timeline, NestWatch vs NABS box specs and bluebird-trail steps.
Bird ID basicsCornell's four keys: size and shape, color pattern, behavior, habitat.Downy vs Hairy WoodpeckerFull field-mark comparison: size ranges, the bill-to-head check, outer tail feathers, calls, regional forms and five other look-alikes.Hawks at bird feedersCooper's vs Sharp-shinned Hawk field marks, a flight and tail-tip drawing, why hawks visit feeders and what Cornell, FeederWatch and Audubon suggest doing.Bird songs for beginnersSongs vs calls, a six-step way to learn by ear, 15 backyard sounds with their memory phrases, where published phrases differ, and how to use Merlin Sound ID.
Hummingbird feeder guideThe 1:4 nectar recipe, no red dye, and a cleaning schedule by temperature.Nectar calculatorHow much sugar for any amount of water, including the cold-snap and oriole mixes.What to feed backyard birdsA seed-by-species table: sunflower, safflower, nyjer, millet, suet and more.When to put out hummingbird feedersSpring arrival by region, the fall migration myth, and when to take feeders down.How to clean a bird feederThe 1:9 bleach soak, a schedule for each feeder type, and disease signs to watch for.Bird feeder typesTube, hopper, platform, nyjer, suet and window feeders, and which birds use each.Suet recipesRaw vs rendered suet, three published recipes, and the temperatures when suet should come down.Squirrel-proof feedersBaffle sizes, pole heights and distances from trees side by side, hanging-feeder setups, safflower and nyjer, and the hot-pepper debate.
Birdhouse dimensionsEntrance hole, floor, depth and mounting height by species.Keeping House Sparrows outEntrance-hole sizes that stop sparrows and starlings, sparrow vs bluebird, swallow and wren nests, spookers, monitoring and what federal law says.Free birdhouse plansLinks to NestWatch's free plans for 16 backyard birds, where other specs disagree, and build tips from vents to baffles.When to clean out birdhousesBetween broods, fall or late winter: what NestWatch, Sialis.org, NABS and state guides say, the USFWS rules on active and inactive nests, and a safe cleaning routine.Found a baby birdNestling or fledgling, when to put it back or leave it, where Audubon, Cornell, USFWS and state agencies disagree, and how to find a licensed rehabilitator.
Window collisionsThe 2x4 rule vs the 2x2 rule, mark sizes, what does not work, feeder distance and what to do for a stunned bird.Bird bath guideHow deep, where to put it, how often to change and scrub it (vinegar vs bleach), mosquitoes and winter heaters, with each source's numbers side by side.Native plants for birdsA plant-by-region table of native trees, shrubs and flowers, the birds that use them, and the caterpillar research behind the 70 percent native goal.Plants that attract hummingbirdsNative tubular flowers by US region with bloom seasons, the plants the Forest Service pairs with seven US hummingbirds, and where sources disagree.
How to start birdingSeven first steps, what 8x42 and other binocular numbers mean, field guides and apps, eBird basics, finding an Audubon chapter or club, and the ABA ethics code.Binocular specs explainedExit pupil, twilight factor, field of view, close focus, eye relief, prisms, coatings and waterproofing, with a spec calculator. No product picks.eBird for beginnersStationary vs Traveling vs Incidental checklists, effort fields, counting, complete lists, flagged records, and how to read bar charts and Targets to plan.Great Backyard Bird CountFebruary 12–15, 2027: what the count is, how to join in 15 minutes with Merlin or eBird, counting rules, 2026 results and a checklist.Christmas Bird CountDecember 14 to January 5: how Audubon's count began in 1900, how circles, compilers and feeder watchers work, and how to join the 2026–27 count for free.Project FeederWatchNovember 1 to April 30: how the Cornell Lab and Birds Canada winter feeder count works, from count sites and two-day counts to the $18 US fee and what the data show.
How to use this site for a streak
- Days 1–14: spend your rarities, not your regulars. Audubon says to "always note the most unusual species you see" and to save reliable feeder birds for hard days.
- Build a backyard bank. A stocked feeder, a clean birdbath and a nest box add species you can count on. The feeding table shows which food brings which birds.
- Plan by season. Winter favors waterfowl, spring brings songbirds, summer suits shorebirds and fall brings raptors. Check eBird bar charts for your county to see when each species is usually reported.
- Learn the common ones cold. Most streaks end on a busy day, not a slow one. Being able to name a chickadee by its call in five seconds keeps you in the game. Start with the ID basics.
Whether you last nine days or the full year, the payoff is the same one Audubon describes: the habit of scanning your surroundings, and learning when and where birds show up.
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