Getting Started: Setting Up Your First BirdNET-Cloud Station
Welcome! This guide will help you get your first BirdNET-Cloud station up and running.
If you're coming from BirdNET-Pi, the good news is that you don't lose your detection history. BirdNET-Cloud includes a migration tool that imports your existing detections into the cloud, allowing you to continue with a single, continuous timeline.
Before You Begin
The first step is always the same:
- Create a station in BirdNET-Cloud.
- Copy your unique station token.
- Open the Web Terminal (or SSH) on your BirdNET-Pi.
- Run the migration tool to upload your detection history.
Once your history has been safely imported, you can choose how you want to run your station going forward.
Option 1 — Keep Your Existing SD Card
This is the fastest option.
If your Raspberry Pi is already running a recent 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS, you can simply install the BirdNET-Cloud station software on your existing system.
Your Pi immediately begins sending new detections to BirdNET-Cloud, where they are automatically combined with the history you just imported.
This is the recommended option if your current BirdNET-Pi installation is relatively recent and working well.
Option 2 — Start Fresh (Recommended for Older Systems)
If your BirdNET-Pi installation has been running for several years, it's often worth starting with a fresh SD card.
A clean installation gives you:
- The latest Raspberry Pi OS
- Current Python packages
- Better long-term stability
- Cleaner upgrades in the future
Your existing detection history is already safely stored in BirdNET-Cloud, so after flashing a new SD card you simply install BirdNET-Cloud using the same station token, and everything reconnects automatically.
Supported Hardware
BirdNET-Cloud supports:
- Raspberry Pi 3B+
- Raspberry Pi 4
- Raspberry Pi 5
For bird monitoring, all three models work well.
For bat monitoring and future hybrid stations, we recommend a Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi 5.
New to BirdNET?
No problem!
If this is your very first station, simply start with a fresh Raspberry Pi running the latest 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS (Lite) and follow the installation guide in the documentation.
Need Help?
If you run into any problems during installation or migration, create a new topic in the Support section of the forum.
When asking for help, include:
- Raspberry Pi model
- Raspberry Pi OS version
- Whether you're installing fresh or migrating from BirdNET-Pi
- Any error messages you received
The more information you provide, the easier it will be for the community to help.
Welcome to BirdNET-Cloud, and happy listening!