We’re excited to share that the Evergreen Nature Center now has its very own eBird “hotspot”! This means that any bird checklists submitted from this location are now tied to a single, easily accessible entry within eBird, allowing our community to collectively track and celebrate the birdlife that makes this special place home. You can view the new hotspot directly here: Evergreen Nature Center eBird Hotspot.

For those who already use eBird, we encourage you to add your observations to the new hotspot whenever you visit. Every checklist, whether it’s a quick stop on your walk or a dedicated birding session, helps build a more complete picture of the bird activity in our meadow and along Bear Creek.

If you’re not yet familiar with eBird, this is a great time to join the world’s largest citizen science project for birds. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, eBird has grown into a global network of birders who submit digital “checklists” of the species they observe. These observations add up to a massive database that scientists, conservationists, and educators use to study bird populations, migration patterns, and the effects of climate change. In 2025, eBird surpassed two billion bird observations worldwide. You can learn more and create your free account at www.ebird.org.

Using eBird is simple: with the website or mobile app, you can record the birds you see in a particular place at a particular time. Submitting “complete” checklists—where you note all the birds you identified, not just the unusual ones—provides especially valuable data, since it shows both what is present and what is absent. Over time, these records create a detailed view of bird distribution that benefits both science and conservation.

Beyond the science, eBird is also fun. It allows you to keep track of your personal bird lists, discover what species have been spotted nearby, and connect with other birders around the world. Locally, your contributions to the Evergreen hotspot will enrich our collective knowledge and help us better understand seasonal patterns in our own backyard.

We invite everyone—longtime birders and newcomers alike—to visit the Evergreen Nature Center, enjoy the beauty of this special place, and consider contributing your sightings through eBird. Together, we can help advance bird conservation while building a vibrant community of birdwatchers here in Evergreen.