Best Tally Counter for Bird Watching
eBird from Cornell Lab is the gold standard for birding — species database, AI identification via Merlin, hotspot maps, life lists, and 100M+ sightings per year contributing to science. A tally counter is a much simpler tool: just basic species counts with offline support and CSV export. Here's an honest look at both approaches.
What makes a great bird-watching counter?
Field birding demands quick species identification and reliable counting, even in remote areas:
- Multiple named counters — one per species spotted in the field.
- Categories — group by habitat, location, or checklist period.
- Labels/renaming — enter species common names for easy identification.
- Offline / PWA mode — birding hotspots rarely have cell coverage.
- Auto-save — never lose a sighting if the phone sleeps.
- CSV export — transfer counts to eBird, spreadsheets, or club reports.
- Statistics dashboard — daily species totals and abundance distributions.
- Historical data — compare this season's counts to prior years.
Bird-watching counter features — compared
We compared eBird (the dedicated birding platform) against a general-purpose tally counter (DTC) to show where each tool fits.
| Feature | digitaltallycounter.com | ebird.org |
|---|---|---|
| Key Features for Bird Watching | ||
| Multiple counters | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto-save (browser) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Statistics dashboard | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rename / label counters | ✓ | ✓ |
| PWA / offline mode | ✓ | ✓ |
| Counter categories | ✓ | ✓ |
| CSV export | Paid | ✓ |
| Historical trends | Paid | ✓ |
| Outdoor-Friendly Features | ||
| Species/category counter | — | — |
| Lap counter | ✓ | — |
| Knitting row counter | ✓ | — |
| Location/GPS tagging | — | — |
| Wildlife survey mode | — | — |
| Photo attachment to counts | — | — |
The verdict
eBird (Cornell Lab)
Species checklist with 10,700+ species, Merlin AI identification, hotspot maps, life lists, rare bird alerts, photo/audio uploads, and data contributing to global conservation science. Free.
Visit eBird →DigitalTallyCounter.com
If you just need a fast offline species counter without eBird's overhead — create named counters per species, tally individuals, export to CSV. No species database, no AI ID, no life list. Free, no signup.
Open DigitalTallyCounter.com →eBird vs. a simple counter for birding
eBird is purpose-built for birders: it knows every species, suggests what you might see based on location and season, helps identify birds with Merlin AI, and your sightings contribute to real conservation science. A tally counter has none of that. Use eBird for serious birding. A counter only makes sense for quick informal tallies where you don't want to log in or submit data.
When a basic counter works for bird counts
For Christmas Bird Count compilation, feeder watches, or quick informal species tallies where you just want running numbers — a tally counter with named counters and CSV export works. Create a counter per species, tap as you spot, export at the end. But if you're feeding data to Audubon, eBird, or a research project, use eBird directly so the data is in the right format from the start.
Need a quick field counter for birds?
Named species counters, offline PWA mode, CSV export. No database — just simple tallies.
Open DigitalTallyCounter.com