A field-notebook tally,
one tap per sighting.
A row per species, a tap to count each one you spot, and a session total that updates in real time. Add species as they appear, undo a miscount, and the list is still there when the walk is over.
Bird Sightings
Tap a species + on every sighting · add a row when something new appears · counts persist locally
Six birding contexts, one tally.
Anywhere a notepad and a pencil have always done the job — and you would rather have a hand free for the binoculars.
On the feeder
Project Feederwatch and casual yard counts — keep one species per row, tap as the cardinal lands, leave the page open through the morningDown the trail
Hour-long walks where five species turn into fifteen — add rows as you go, the session total rolls up, the eBird list writes itselfOn the ridge
Migration counts where flight identification matters and the count is per-species — pre-load the raptor row set, tap the right species as each bird crossesAcross the route
Multi-route Big Days — one card per stop in multi-counter mode, each keeps its own list and total, all of them sum to the day total Open multi-counter →Off the boat
Seabird trips where signal dies twenty minutes from the dock — the counter runs offline, taps register, the list is intact when you get back to cell coverageOn the field trip
Junior birder programs and school field trips — large tap targets, no logins, no app installs, the count holds while the kids find the next speciesFour upgrades over a field notepad.
A pocket pad does the job, but the count rolls up by hand, and a wet field guide does not preserve tally marks. The browser version keeps the same one-tap workflow with the four things every checklist needs.
Per-species row, session total above
Each species has its own row with plus and minus buttons. The big number at the top is the sum of every row in real time — sightings count and species count, both visible without scrolling.
Add species without leaving the page
Type the name, tap Add, the row appears with its own counter. No menus, no pre-built database to scroll, no autocomplete to fight when the bird is already gone.
Undo a miscount
A 50-step undo lives in the corner — walk back any tap up to fifty steps ago. Useful when you tap the wrong species and only realise three sightings later.
Auto-save and multi-route
Every tap saves locally so the list survives a closed tab. Open multi-counter for a Big Day with one card per route — counts stay independent and roll up for the total at the end.
Online bird counter vs the alternatives.
A field notepad, eBird, Merlin, a tally clicker — each has a place. None of them fits the in-the-walk role this counter is built for.
| Online Bird Counter | Field notepad | eBird app | Hand tally clicker | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost & setup | Free, instant | Free | Account, install | Buy one |
| Multi-species in one screen | Yes | Manual | Yes | One number |
| Add species on the fly | Single tap | Write it down | Search list | No |
| Undo a miscount | 50-step undo | Cross out | Yes | One step |
| Works without signal | After load | Always | Cached lists | Always |
| Session total & per-species | Both, live | Sum at end | Yes | Total only |
| One-handed use | Big tap targets | Two hands | Small UI | Yes |
Bird counter questions.
What people ask before counting birds in the browser — multi-species, offline use, eBird workflow, Big Day tallies.
Q.01 What is a bird-watching counter?
A bird-watching counter is a tally tool that tracks how many of each species you spot in a single outing — separate counts for cardinals, jays, sparrows, hawks — with a running total across the whole list. The digital version replaces the notepad in the binocular bag with a tap target per species and a session total that updates as you go.
Q.02 How does multi-species tracking work?
Each species gets its own row with a plus and a minus button. Tap plus when you spot one, tap minus to walk back a miscount. The session total at the top sums every row in real time so you always know how many sightings the morning produced.
Q.03 Can I add species during the walk?
Yes. Type the species name in the add field and tap the button — a new row appears immediately with its own counter. Useful when an unexpected species shows up and you do not want to scroll a long pre-built list to find it.
Q.04 Does it work without cell signal in the field?
Yes. After the page loads once, the counter runs entirely in the browser. No signal at the marsh, in the canyon, or at the lookout is fine — taps still register, totals still update, the list is still there when you get back to a coffee shop.
Q.05 Will my count save if I close the tab?
Every tap writes to local storage so the count survives a closed tab, a sleeping phone, or a battery save. Sign up and the list syncs across devices, so a phone count from the morning rolls up to a laptop in the evening for an eBird submission.
Q.06 Is this designed for eBird or for casual birding?
Both. The session total and per-species counts feed cleanly into an eBird checklist at the end of the walk. For casual birding, run it like a tally — add species as they appear, ignore the rest, no setup required.
Q.07 Can I track Big Day or Big Year totals?
Open multi-counter and add one card per location, per route, or per day — each one keeps its own species list and session total. The free version handles a single Big Day; cross-day rollups for a Big Year are part of the paid tier.
Q.08 How is this different from Merlin or eBird?
Merlin identifies birds; eBird logs lists. This counter is the in-between — the field tally that you want open while the walk is happening, before you sit down to compose the eBird checklist. No login, no GPS, no sharing — just count.
Tap a species. Walk away with the list.
A field tally rebuilt for the phone in your binocular pocket — multi-species, add-on-the-fly, undo, session totals, offline-ready, free.
Photos
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