Big Year Birding Optimizer

A web tool that helps birders maximize new species sightings during a "Big Year" challenge. The app uses the eBird API to find nearby hotspots, compares recent sightings against the user's year list, and ranks locations by a weighted score that factors in potential new species, recency, frequency, and travel distance.

Key Features

  • ✓eBird API integration for real-time sighting data
  • ✓Browser geolocation + manual coordinate entry
  • ✓Configurable search radius (5–50 km), days back (1–30)
  • ✓Weighted scoring: new species, recency, frequency, distance
  • ✓Interactive Leaflet map with color-coded hotspot markers
  • ✓User year list tracking with fuzzy species matching
  • ✓Ranked hotspot cards with expandable species lists
  • ✓eBird hotspot links & Google Maps directions
  • ✓Batch API requests with rate-limit handling
  • ✓API key stored in localStorage for persistence
birding-optimizer.vercel.app

Hotspot Scoring Algorithm

Each hotspot is assigned a recommendation score from four weighted factors:

×10
New Species
×2
Recency
×1
Frequency
−0.5
Distance
Big Year Birding Optimizer

Tech Stack

Next.js 14TypeScriptTailwind CSSReact 18Leaflet.jsreact-leafleteBird API v2OpenStreetMapVercelNext.js API Routes
GitHub