Calling all birding enthusiasts! Birding Big Day 2024, hosted by BirdLife South Africa, is happening on Saturday, December 7th, 2024, marking the 40th year of this incredible event. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just starting, this is your chance to celebrate the rich birdlife of South Africa and contribute to vital conservation efforts.


What is Birding Big Day?
Birding Big Day challenges participants to record as many bird species as possible within 24 hours. You can bird solo or as a team of up to four people, covering a maximum area of 50 km in diameter. The event isn’t just competitive; it also promotes awareness and helps gather valuable data for South Africa’s bird conservation programs. All you need to participate is a passion for birding and tools to record your sightings.

Photo credit: Anika Vermaak.
Enhance your birding adventure with Firefinch
To make your Birding Big Day experience seamless and fun, the Firefinch app is your ultimate birding companion.
Designed for Southern Africa’s birding community, Firefinch offers:
- Easy bird identification with detailed profiles for regional species.
- Effortless species logging, perfect for Birding Big Day reporting.
- Mastering bird calls is undoubtedly one of the most intimidating challenges of becoming a better birder. Firefinch uses sonograms (or technically “spectrographs”, if you prefer) to help you visualise the bird sounds as you hear them.
Whether you’re identifying birdsongs or exploring hotspots, Firefinch takes your birding to the next level.
Tips from the Firefinch team for Birding Big Day
- Cover all habitats
Instead of trying to get each and every species in a particular habitat, rather try to cover as many habitats as possible within your radius. Grassland, forest, woodland, scrub and water all have different bird populations.
- Use your ears
At least 70% of Birding Big Day ticks are on sound alone. The top teams are phenomenal on bird calls.
- Work the quadrants
By assigning a quadrant to each team member you can effectively cover all 360 degrees. If you’re birding in a four person team, have each team member stand at one corner of the car.
- Time management
Scheduling is key, and it’s always important to factor in a small buffer, otherwise sunset will invariably catch up with you.
- Do a recce run
Running your route partly or in full beforehand is a great way to get an accurate idea of driving times.
- Early bird
You can rack up quite an encouraging list before dawn, and you might be surprised how many diurnal birds feature.
- Three levels
Draw up a list of all possible birds that you could see, then divide them into three categories. This works much the same as the green, orange and red distribution maps featured in Firefinch. The first category (green) is for common birds, the second category (orange) is for targets that are feasible, but will require some searching in the right spots, and finally the third category (red) are uncommon long shots.
- Have fun
Have a fun-filled day of great birding.
(Article by: Faansie Peacock).




Your birding gear destination
No Birding Big Day would be complete without the right equipment. We have everything you need to spot and capture the beauty of South Africa’s birdlife.
Binoculars
Precision optics to bring distant birds up close.
A premium option for clarity and comfort.
Cameras and lenses
A compact, versatile option for bird photography.
Perfect for capturing detailed shots from afar.
Accessories


Photo credit: Anika Vermaak.
Get involved!
Participation is easy. Register for Birding Big Day via BirdLife South Africa’s website, download Firefinch to enhance your birding experience, and stock up on gear from us to ensure you’re ready for the big day.
By joining this event, you’ll not only enjoy the thrill of birding but also contribute to conservation efforts. So, whether you’re aiming for the top of the leaderboard or just enjoying a day in nature, Birding Big Day is for everyone. You’ll create memories and contribute to something bigger than yourself.

Let’s make Birding Big Day 2024 the best one yet. See you out there, the Firefinch app, binoculars, and cameras at the ready!
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