Big Day 2026

Birding Across Borders

What does Team Sapsucker have in common with a Golden-winged Warbler? (Hint: it’s not a love of tasty insects.)

Each spring, millions of birds journey thousands of miles from Central and South America to breeding grounds across the United States and Canada. Along the way, you might spot Eastern Wood-Pewees, Wood Thrushes, Golden-winged Warblers—and Team Sapsucker!

On Big Day 2026—Saturday, May 9—the Lab’s birding extraordinaires will split up into two groups: one exploring the Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests of North Carolina, the other searching its “sister landscape,” the Maya Forest of Guatemala. These two forests share millions of the same birds at different times of the year.

Together, the teams will race to find as many species as possible in just 24 hours, all for a vital cause: raising funds for bird conservation.

Part birding marathon, part fundraiser, Big Day is our chance to celebrate migration while inspiring support for the birds we love.

From Tropical Forests to Your Backyard

When you hear the first song of a thrush or warbler each spring, remember that only weeks ago that bird was probably looking for its next meal in a tropical forest thousands of miles away.

Their awe-inspiring migrations connect a hemisphere-wide network of forests—vital habitats that birds in our own backyards depend on to survive. On Big Day, Team Sapsucker will bird in two of these forests, witnessing firsthand how this important migration corridor helps sustain North American wildlife.

The Maya Forest of Central America is one the most critical and threatened forests for our migratory birds, having lost one-quarter of its forests in just 15 years. Here, species like Wood Thrush, Worm-eating Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Broad-winged Hawk, Kentucky Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler and more rely on the resources they find to fuel their 2,000-mile flights.

But as these forests disappear, so do migratory birds.

With help from Big Day supporters like you, the Cornell Lab can spread awareness and boost data-driven science to protect birds—whether they’re soaring across continents or nesting in your backyard.

How Your Support Protects Birds

Together, the Selva Maya, Moskitia, Indio Maíz-Tortuguero, La Amistad, and Darién forests of Central America form a living bridge the size of Virginia—home to migratory birds for more than half of each year.

But many of the species that winter in these fragile forests are in steep decline, some by more than 50% in the past half century.

With your Big Day support, the Cornell Lab can continue…

DEVELOPING acoustics technology that partners like the Wildlife Conservation Society deploy to detect poaching and illegal deforestation.
GROWING our positive impact by delivering eBird data to help local partners prioritize restoration efforts and track impact for birds.
EXPANDING use of our BirdCast technology that predicts bird migration each night and alerts cities when to power down lights and make glass safer to prevent deadly bird collisions.
SPARKING millions of people around the world to learn and care more about birds with our free Merlin Bird ID app.

This important work—and so much more—is powered by people like you. Will you make a Big Day donation to the Cornell Lab today?

Meet Team Sapsucker

Named for the spirited woodpecker found right in the Cornell Lab’s backyard, Team Sapsucker is a crew of Lab staff members representing projects and expertise across the Lab.

On Big Day 2026, Team Sapsucker will split into two groups between the Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests of North Carolina and the Maya Forest of Guatemala. Joined by partners from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Guatemala and Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy (SAHC) in North Carolina, both teams share a single goal: to help make a lasting impact for conservation.

Meet the team and get inspired by flipping through our Team Sapsucker image gallery!

David Wiles, Public Engagement Specialist: "This adventure will provide moments for self-reflection and personal growth, and I hope to channel any insight gained into actionable, conservation-driven goals, both in my professional and personal life. Bottom line—I’m ready for some epic birding!"

Jenna Curtis, Project Co-Leader, eBird: "This will be my fourth Team Sapsucker Big Day and probably my biggest one yet. It’s also my first time birding in the Appalachian region! I'm looking forward to highlighting important local conservation stories in one of North America's most iconic and ecologically rich temperate forests."

Cynthia Crowley, Data Science Developer, Center for Avian Population Studies: "I’m excited to join Team Sapsucker because I love a group adventure, birding as a medium to experience place, and birding with a purpose (occasionally). I’m especially excited to learn about how migrating and breeding birds interact with or avoid the Appalachian topography."

Rachel England, Administrative Support, Center for Engagement in Science and Nature: "I am honored to join a group of like minded individuals to embark on one of the Lab’s biggest fundraising efforts. This will likely be the closest I will ever get to one of those reality TV challenge shows, but in the name of science and conservation—and I am here for it!"

Melissa Mancuso, User Interface Developer: "I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of Team Sapsucker to represent the Cornell Lab during one of our biggest annual fundraising and conservation efforts. I have never participated in a full Big Day and look forward to spending time with Lab colleagues to find amazing birds in a country I have never visited before."

Megan King, Associate Producer, Conservation Media: "I learned about Big Day the week I joined the Lab in 2021! I have been birding for over a decade, increasing my knowledge year by year, but I continue to be in awe of the high level of knowledge and experience my colleagues possess."

Kate Reed, Applications Programmer, Conservation Bioacoustics: "I've followed Team Sapsucker's past journeys and it's so exciting to be a part of a project that gets so many people energized and engaged in birding! I'm looking forward to exploring a region that's totally new to me and growing my birding skills."

Kevin Ebert, Merlin Project Coordinator: "My journey at the Lab began at the Young Birders Event, which confirmed my desire to pursue a career involving birds and conservation. That led me to pursue my undergraduate studies at Cornell, where I joined Team Redhead at the World Series of Birding. I always eagerly anticipate the nonstop excitement of Big Days, and I can’t wait until May 9th!"

Marshall Iliff, Project Leader, eBird: "Captaining the Cornell Lab Big Day team in Peten will be a joy and a thrill this year. This is an area I have had the good fortune to visit twice before for the Lab: first in 2009 when I joined Chris Wood, Tom Schulenberg, and others on bird surveys in remote areas of the Mayan Forest and then in 2014 when I helped lead a Cornell Lab Big Day team on a route from Uaxactún through Tikal to areas near Flores."

Catalina Lopez (WCS) has 7 years of experience observing birds in Guatemala, and has contributed to various conservation efforts with Wildlife Conservation Society—from field research in the Maya Biosphere Reserve to global bird counts—while also sharing her passion through community education.

Fernando Avelar (WCS) is an experienced birder and field technician with the Wildlife Conservation Society from Petén, with 8 years in birding experience in Guatemala. A birding guide and active community member, he supports international projects while contributing to local conservation efforts.

Kevin Reyes (WCS) is a seasoned birder from Petén, Guatemala with experience leading bird monitoring fieldwork in restoration areas and contributing to Orange-breasted Falcon research. President of the Caoba Birders Club and a tour guide at Tikal specialized in birds, he combines scientific work with a deep commitment to conservation and community engagement.

Santiago Juarez (WCS) is a dedicated birder who has led and coordinated Global Big Day and October Big Day events in Puerto Arturo from 2017 to 2025. He brings extensive knowledge of the forest, wildlife, and local history, and is recognized for his responsibility, respect for nature, and commitment to sustainable community development.

Sarah Sheeran is the Stewardship Director at SAHC, a 50+ year old land trust where she has worked for 12 years helping to oversee a 68,000-acre portfolio consisting of nearly 200 conservation easements and 150 fee simple preserves. Having previously worked as a seasonal biology technician and plant ecologist, she relishes any opportunity to bird in the Southern Appalachians around Asheville, NC.

Marquette Crocket joined SAHC in 2014, where she leads stewardship work on almost 14,000 acres of SAHC preserves in the Highlands of Roan. She coordinates efforts to restore and protect the globally rare grassy bald habitats found on Roan Mountain, and to manage habitat for declining bird species, including the Golden-winged Warbler.

What Is Big Day?

Birding Across Borders

From Tropical Forests to Your Backyard

How Your Support Protects Birds

Meet Team Sapsucker

Follow the Adventure