Noah Patrick Hearne, January eBirder of the Month

By Team eBird 9 Feb 2024

Please join us in congratulating Noah Patrick Hearne of London, England—winner of the January 2024 eBird Challenge, sponsored by ZEISS. Noah’s name was drawn randomly from the 9198 eBirders who completed the eBird Essentials course and submitted 1 or more eligible checklists in January. Noah will receive a new ZEISS SFL 8×40 binocular for his eBirding efforts. Thank you to everyone who participated in the January eBirder Challenge, we are grateful for your support and continued dedication to data collection and conservation. Here’s Noah’s birding story:

I am very honored to be selected as the first eBirder of the Month for 2024!

Birding has been a very special part of my life since my childhood looking out for birds in my backyard and exploring the wilderness of my native Pennsylvania. Still now, during my free weekends, vacations, and really anytime outside, a part of my brain is always thinking about birds, looking for movement in trees and listening for calls and songs in the air. My passion for birding has been bolstered by the many birding resources for beginners and beyond and the wonderful community of birders I encountered while out on walks and hikes. eBird has been one of the most valuable resources to me in my birding journey, helping me organize and plan my birding endeavors.

Magnificent Frigatebird © Noah Patrick Hearne / Macaulay Library

Since moving to London eight years ago, I’ve used eBird and Merlin Bird ID to learn about the United Kingdom’s wealth of birds and the birding hotspots around my new home. Being able to quickly see which hotspots are most frequented and their recent sightings has helped me plan birding trips and weekend walks and gave me a clear picture of the birds to expect while out. eBird and Merlin are now permanent fixtures in my repertoire whether I’m close to or far from home.

Mute Swan © Noah Patrick Hearne / Macaulay Library

eBird is a great tool to not only remember the birds you’ve seen but also to record the details of your time out in nature and the trips you’ve taken. I’ve loved making trip reports and sending them to friends to share where I’ve been and what I’ve seen. Even just one list can hold new and interesting insights into the birds around us. In February of 2021, I spotted a Common Chiffchaff while on a birding walk on my local patch Hampstead Heath, London and reported it on eBird. Later that week, I received a message from another local birder asking about the sighting and to let me know that it was possibly the first record of the bird on the Heath in February ever. I was then added to the Heath’s local birding group’s online chat, through which I have met kind and passionate people who care for the same birds and the places they live as I do. This network has also helped me see new and rare species close to home, including Bohemian Waxwings, an Iberian Chiffchaff, and the first Barn Owl on Hampstead Heath since 1946.

eBird is an amazing platform to explore the world of birding close to home or off somewhere new. Thank you eBird, Cornell Lab, and Zeiss!

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