Garden Bird Survey (GBS): VERY LITTLE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
Survey of birds occuring in Irish gardens in winter
Location: Your garden
Equipment required: Binoculars, notebook, Garden Bird Survey form
Timing: December to February
Time requirement: Your choice, 10 minutes to 10 hours
Details required: Peak count each species that you can identify in each week
Data submission: Hard copy or online
Most common species: Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Chaffinch
We need participants from all over the country, with big or small gardens, and who put out loads of feeders or none, so please do take part this year and spread the word to family, friends and neighbours too!
Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS): BIRD IDENTIFICATION SKILLS
Status of Ireland's wintering waterbird populations and their wetlands
Level of experience required: Ability to identify and count waterbirds (swans, geese, ducks, waders, gulls)
Location: Wetlands in your area
Equipment required: Binoculars, telescope for large wetlands, notebook
Timing: September - March
Time requirement: 1 visits to each wetland each month, especially January, each takes no more than 3 hrs
Details required: Counts of birds on wetlands
Data submission: Hard copy or online
Most common species: Wigeon, Teal, Light-bellied Brent Goose, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Dunlin, Black-headed Gull
The 4th National Seabird Census in Ireland - Monitoring breeding seabird populations and assessing productivity for selected species.

Level of experience required: Ability to identify 10 seabird species and a ‘head for heights’ is needed as many colonies are on cliffs.
Location: Coastal stretches, sea cliffs or near-shore islands and island lakes.
Equipment required: Binoculars, a telescope for larger sites, notebook. Also a sitemap and survey guidleines which will be provided.
Timing: May-July (mid August if Fulmar breeding success is being monitored)
Time requirement: between 2 and 4 visits, April, late May to mid August
Data submission: Hard copy or online
Most common species: Fulmar, Cormorant, Shag, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake,
For more information, contact Dr.Stephen Newton: snewton@birdwatchireland.ie
To Get Involved Click Here
Black Guillemot Survey 2018
A component of the 4th National Seabird Census in Ireland
Level of experience required: Ability to identify Black Guillemots in suitable habitat
Equipment needed: Binoculars, Survey recording form and maps (provided)
Timing: Dawn to 09:30hrs before 15th May
Location: Sites around the coast, allocated nationally upon request
Confusion species: Common guillemot, Razorbill
For information on volunteering, please contact Stephen Newton: snewton@birdwatchireland OR
Choose a survey site from the map here: Black Guillemot Survey Sites
And: Register your interest by clicking here
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Late Nesters Survey
Level of Experience Required: Ability to identify some common species by sight and sound
Location: Nationwide
Equipment required: None
Timing: August - September
Time Requirement: Your choice
Details required: Details of nesting activity of late nesting birds (nesting during August-September)
Post-breeding Tern flock survey
Level of Experience Required: Ability to count/estimate sometimes large numbers of Terns
Location: Coastal sites nationwide
Equipment Required: Binoculars, telescope at some sites
Timing: evenings in August and September
Time Requirement: Your choice
Details Required: Number in flock and species present, at minimum. See form for other details.
Swift Surveys: very little experience required.jpg)
Level of experience required: Ability to identify Swifts by sight and sound
Location: Anywhere
Equipment required: None
Timing: May, June & July
Time requirement: Your choice
Details required: Sightings of swifts and details on nest sites.
2018 River Birds in Built Structures Survey (very little experience required)
Level of experience required: All abilities
Location: Your local rivers, canals and lakeland sites
Equipment required: None
Timing: Spring and Summer
Time requirement: Casual observation
Details required: Records of birds observed nesting in man-made structures
Data submission: Online
European Breeding Bird Atlas (EBBA2)
An ambitious project to map the distribution of more than 500 species breeding across Europe. Please check the map at the link here to see what species haven't yet been recorded in your local area.
Location: Europe
Timing: Breeding season 2013-2017
Details required: Records of breeding birds
Data submission: BirdTrack
Dublin City Urban Birds Project: (very little experience required)
Level of experience required: ability to identify a number of common urban bird species
Location: Dublin city
Equipment needed: None
Timing: All year
Time requirement: Your choice
Details required: sightings of urban species
BirdTrack: (very little experience required)
The online bird recording system that increases the personal, local and national value of your sightings
Level of experience required: All abilities
Location: Your local birdwatching sites
Equipment required: Binoculars recommended, notebook
Timing: Year-round
Time requirement: As much or as little as you can give
Details required: Records of birds seen and heard
Data submission: Online

Spring Alive: (very little experience required)
Track the arrival of spring every year
Level of experience required: ability to identify calls and individuals of Swallow, Swift and Cuckoo
Location: Anywhere
Equipment required: None
Timing: March & April
Time requirement: Your choice
Details required: First sightings of Swallow, Swift and Cuckoo

Countryside Bird Survey (CBS): (bird ID skills required - sight & calls)
Status of Ireland's common and widespread breeding bird populations
Level of experience required: Identification all common and widespread birds by sight and sound.
Location: Various
Equipment required: Binoculars, CBS recording sheet
Timing: April - June
Time requirement: 2 visits, each taking roughly 1 - 2 hours
Details required: Records of birds seen and heard while walking two parallel transects, each 1km long
Data submission: Hard copy or online
Most common species: Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Chaffinch
Breeding Curlew Survey:
Status of Ireland's breeding Curlew populations
Level of experience required: Ability to identify Curlew and note behaviours
Location: Boglands, grasslands, rushy pastures, wetlands and other open habitats nationwide.
Timing: April - July
Details required: Sightings of potentially breeding Curlew
Data submission: Please contact Dr. Anita Donaghy with any breeding Curlew records - adonaghy@birdwatchireland.ie

Click here for further details about other bird surveys in Ireland