Earlham’s Birding Big Day is a global event! Alumni, students, faculty and staff form teams and collect pledges for the Earlham Fund based on the number of different species they can identify. This year Birding Big Day will take place on May 10-11, 2013.

Want to take part? Joining our mailing list is as easy as sending that request with your e-mail address to the Alumni Office.

History of Birding Big Day at Earlham

Earlham biology professors Jim Cope and Bill Buskirk created Birding Big Day in 1982. They nurtured this event and saw it blossom into an annual tradition of daylong birding in the Whitewater Valley.

After Jim passed away in March 2002, Bill opened the experience to even more birding enthusiasts in the Earlham community. Every year since then, alumni, students, faculty and staff form birding teams with the challenge of seeking as many different species they can find in a day.

This event became worldwide in 2009. Last year, participants identified 499 species around the U.S., Canada, Germany, New Zeland and Costa Rica. 2012 species map >

Pledge Information

You have until June 30, the end of Earlham's fiscal year, to honor your pledge for Birding Big Day. Soon after the event takes place, we will publish the number of birds identified.

If you didn't pledge, but would still like to make a gift, just print the pledge form (pdf) and mail it to the College, or use our secure online giving option.