September 8, 2026 · Latta Nature Preserve
A pair on the trail
Northern Cardinal · Carolina Wren · Belted Kingfisher — 1 lifer
A digital field journal for birders
Your birding life,
beautifully remembered.
Identify the birds you see, record your sightings, build your life list, and keep the moments you'll want to remember for years to come.
Free to start. Your sightings stay yours.
Lifer
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
September 8, 2026 · Latta Nature Preserve
183
Species
27
Lifers 2026
1,284
Sightings
42
Places
How it works
See a bird. Save the moment.
Four steps, and only one of them takes any effort.
01
See
Spot something interesting.
02
Identify
Take a photo and use Feather Journal's identification workflow to help identify it.
03
Record
Save the sighting with the bird, date, place, photo and notes.
04
Remember
Your life list, journal, photos and birding history grow automatically.
Your life list
Every bird becomes part of your story.
Feather Journal builds your life list automatically as you record confirmed sightings — no separate list to maintain.
Your life list isn't just a number. It's a record of everywhere you've been, everything you've noticed, and the birds that made you stop and look.
More about life listsMy Birds
183
Species
27
Lifers 2026
1,284
Sightings
42
Places
First seen
September 8, 2026
Sightings
12
Notes
Pair working the hedge by the parking lot. Male sang from the same post for ten minutes.
Your sightings
Remember where you saw it.
Years from now, you'll want to remember more than the species name. Feather Journal keeps the date, place, photos and notes that turn a sighting into a memory.
How the sighting log worksYour journal
Your birding story writes itself.
Every sighting becomes part of your personal journal. Add notes, photos and memories as you go, then look back on the places and birds that made your birding life yours.
Journal assistant
Your field note
"Saw two cardinals near the trail. Male was singing. Beautiful morning."
Draft entry, yours to edit
"On a beautiful September morning, I spotted a pair of Northern Cardinals near the trail. The male paused to sing several times…"
The assistant helps you write. It never replaces your own voice — you edit every entry before it's saved.
Your places
Every place has its birds.
See where you've been birding and which birds you've encountered along the way — species counts, recent sightings, photos and visit history for every place on your map.
Latta Nature Preserve
64 species · last visited Sep 5, 2026
Lake Norman
41 species · last visited Aug 22, 2026
Outer Banks
87 species · last visited May 14, 2026
Trip
Outer Banks — Spring 2027
4
Days
87
Species
11
Lifers
326
Photos
3
Locations
Your trips
Turn birding trips into memories.
Keep the birds, places, photos and stories from a trip together in one place.
Want to see
Keep track of the birds you're still chasing.
Keep a personal wish list of birds you're hoping to find. When one finally turns up in a sighting, it moves across on its own.
- Scarlet Tanager
- Wood Duck
- Roseate Spoonbill
- Bald Eagle
🎉 New life bird
Every first sighting deserves a moment.
September 8, 2026 · First sighting
Feather Journal recognises when you've seen a species for the first time and adds it to your life list.
Your photos
Your birds. Your photos.
Every photo stays connected to the sighting behind it. Browse your bird photography by species, place, date or trip.
Public profile
Share your birding life.
Create a public profile that shows the birds you've seen, the places you've explored and the moments you've recorded. You choose exactly what's public — and exact locations never are by default.
Public profile
Kevin's Birding Life
183
Species
27
Lifers 2026
42
Places
1,284
Sightings
Recent sightings · Life list · Favourite places · Photos
Privacy
Your sightings. Your choice.
Some bird sightings are worth sharing. Some locations are worth protecting. You're always in control.
Private by default where it matters
Exact coordinates are never published publicly by default.
Per-location control
Mark a place exact, approximate or private.
Profile visibility
Keep your profile private, or share it at your own address.
Sensitive species
Protect nest sites and scarce breeders from public maps.
Resources
Learn the craft, not just the app.
Practical guides for birders keeping their own records.
Life Lists
What is a bird life list?
A bird life list is a personal record of every bird species you have seen or heard in the wild. Here's what counts, how to start one and what to record.
Getting Started
What is a lifer in birding?
A lifer is a bird species you're seeing for the first time. Here's where the term comes from, how birders count lifers and why the moment matters.
Getting Started
How to start birding
What you need to start birdwatching, where to go, how to look, and how to begin keeping track of the birds you see.
Bird Journaling
How to keep a birding journal
What to write in a birding journal, how often to write, and how to keep one you'll actually return to years later.
Bird Journaling
How to record bird sightings
What to record when you see a bird, how to keep your sightings accurate, and how a consistent record becomes a life list, map and journal.
Bird Identification
How to identify a bird
A practical process for identifying birds by shape, behaviour, habitat and sound — and how photo identification fits in.
Start your birding story.
Your first bird is only the beginning.