Drumroll, please! After an overwhelming response to our binocular giveaway, we are thrilled to announce the lucky winner who will soon be enjoying the world through a brand new pair of top-of-the-line Swarovski binoculars!

More than 700 birding guides from 127 countries have created a profile on Orniverse and entered the drawing.

And the winner is... Mastewal Laike from Ethiopia!

Congratulations, Mastewal!

We would like to thank everyone who participated. If you did not win, remember that creating a guide profile on Orniverse can help you get more visibility and reach potential clients. Please make sure that your profile contains relevant and up-to-date information and contact details.

Many thanks also to Swarovski Optik for the generous donation!

We're pleased to announce that we've added some new and exciting features to Orniverse. Birding guides, whether professional or volunteer, can create a profile with their contact details and register as a guide for as many birding sites as they wish. To increase their visibility, they can also ask their guests to leave testimonials.

All tools are free of charge. In addition, Orniverse users who register as local guides before 31 October 2023 will have the chance to win a pair of the phenomenal CL Companion binoculars from SWAROVSKI OPTIK. Visit www.orniverse.com/companion for more information on how to offer your guide services and to take part in the competition.

We are happy to announce that the eBird/Clements taxonomic update 2022 is now fully implemented on Orniverse! This means that in all site descriptions (list of top species) and reports, recent splits and lumps as well as name changes have been implemented. The upload of eBird checklists to create your reports should work flawlessly again. We have also updated the lists of endemics and near-endemics for each country. 18 countries had a net gain, 10 countries a net loss of endemics. Indonesia has gained another 13 endemics and has now surpassed the magic number of 500 endemics!

We are happy to announce that the eBird/Clements taxonomic update 2021 is now fully implemented on Orniverse. This means that in all reports and site descriptions (list of top species), recent splits and lumps have been executed and name changes have been implemented on the entire platform. Nevertheless, Orniverse knows most older names and synonyms, so if you are searching for a species in one of the search boxes you will almost certainly find the one you are looking for. The upload of eBird checklists to create your reports should now work flawlessly again. Let us know if you experience any problems. We have also updated the list of endemic species for each country (search for a country on Orniverse to see full list of endemics). Indonesia has gained 12 endemics, followed by Peru with +8 endemics.

We are delighted to announce that tools for creating interactive maps of birding sites are now live and can be used by everyone. Observation points, trails, facilities and much more can be added to the site maps and provided with detailed descriptions. Everyone is invited to create, complete or correct descriptions and maps of birding sites.

Sign up to Orniverse, start exploring the tools to describe your favorite birding sites and present them to the global birdwatching community! Here is an example of what a site description and interactive map could look like.

Watch this video to learn how the maps and the site descriptions can be created.

Those who contribute their local knowledge before the end of the year have the chance to win a pair of high-end binoculars, the Leica Noctivid! Click here for more information.

Let’s work together on building an online “Where to watch birds” guide that covers the entire world, is always up to date and is completely free for everyone!

We are very excited to announce amazing new features on Orniverse! Users can now write detailed descriptions of their favourite birding sites, including info on timing and strategy, how to get there, top species, facilities, and much more. Everybody can contribute information and changes are tracked. All contributors are acknowledged at the bottom of each site description page. Also, each site description links to a chart on eBird which lists all the species that have been recorded at the site, their abundance and the best time to see them. Have a look at an example of such a site description.

In addition, we have added an awesome feature for all bird guides: You can now add yourself as a local guide to any site with just a single click. Your name will be listed under local guides and link directly to your profile and your contact info. It’s completely free! See here how to do it.

Let’s work together on building an online “Where to watch birds” guide that covers the entire world and is always up to date. It would be really great if you contribute your knowledge. It’s simple – here is how it works. Comprehensive site descriptions will be promoted through our social media channels and may be featured on our home page www.orniverse.com.

Meanwhile, we are building tools that, in addition, will enable you to create digital, interactive maps of birding sites. We will inform you as soon as we are ready.