The concept of Birdfair was hatched in a local pub in Hambleton close to the shores of Rutland Water way back in 1987. Little did we realise all those years ago that this would start a trend of Birdfair’s across the globe.
The aim of Birdfair was to provide a market place for the growing ‘industry’ of birdwatching, be a meeting place for wild-life enthusiasts and to support a conservation project. Thirty years on Birdfair is the world’s largest wildlife event, bringing together over 70 countries and hosting almost 25,000 visitors annually. Birdfair has supported and funded global conservation projects from as far afield as Vietnam to Cuba, Ethiopia to Peru, Myanmar to Argentina. To date almost five million pounds has been donated to BirdLife projects in these areas – an incredible achievement for a three-day event!
On the commercial side Birdfair provides a platform for launching new products from optics, to bestselling natural history books to exotic wildlife holidays. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises has been the growth in eco-tourism – Birdfair is recognised as the ‘event’ to attend if you are contemplating a wildlife experience of a lifetime. Almost 50 per cent of the 395 stands offer individual and group trips. Although still dubbed as The Birdfair, wildlife organisations also attend representing bats, frogs, plants, butterflies, badgers and more.
Birdfair is more than just a hotspot for the commercial side of Birdwatching, thousands of visitors enjoy a weekend of entertainment. From the moment the gates open until way into the evening there are lectures, games, quizzes, talks, films, debates all supported by our wildlife celebrities. The Wild Zone provides younger visitors with the opportunity to engage directly with the fantastic wildlife of Rutland Water Nature Reserve, whether watching Ospreys, cruising on the water, pond dipping, bug hunting or just enjoying our annual wildlife Pantomime!
BirdBrain of Britain now in its 26th year attracts a huge audience, and thanks to generous sponsorship has helped the participating wildlife clubs raise tens of thousands of pounds for conservation projects in their regions.
The local economy is also a winner, as more and more visitors are staying for the whole three days. Hotels, B&Bs, Campsites, school boarding houses, restaurants bulge to capacity bringing huge financial benefits.
Over the years Birdfair has evolved bringing new attractions such as the highly successful Birdfair Auction raising well over £200,000, the Authors forum and the local produce tent. However none of this would have been achieved without the dedication of our staff and an incredible team of 470 volunteers.
From dawn to dusk for weeks before, during the event and for days after the crowds have left, this wonderful group can be justifiably proud that over the past 30 years they have played their part in creating and running the World’s largest Wildlife Event.
Every year for the past three decades, the proceeds from Birdfair have gone to a conservation project, selected and managed by the conservation charity BirdLife International. Through your support, these projects have helped to secure a future for some of the world’s most threatened bird species and habitats – here are the highlights …
Year: 1989
Project name: ICBP Stop the Massacre Campaign
Birds that benefit: Migratory birds in the Mediterranean, focusing on the European Robin Erithacus rubecula
Amount raised: £3,000 ICBP (rebranded BirdLife in 1993) aimed to tackle hunting and trapping with the first Birdfair project. Birdfair supported an education programme lead by BirdLife Malta, which generated a huge amount of publicity and media coverage in Malta. However, the battle to end illegal bird killing is ongoing.
Year: 1990
Project name: Helping Save Spain’s Doñana National Park
Birds that benefit: Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus
Amount raised: £10,000
Already beleaguered by agriculture and tourism, Doñana wetlands faced its biggest threat with the proposal of a huge tourist development: ‘Costa Doñana’. Birdfair funded a concerted campaign led by SEO/BirdLife (BirdLife in Spain) which successfully halted the development, and financed a visitor centre to promote ecotourism.
Year: 1991
Project name: Danube Delta
Birds that benefit: Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus (NT), White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocepala (EN), Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus
Amount raised: £20,000 The Danube Delta’s incredible wetlands suddenly escaped the threat of drainage when the new administration declared it a World Heritage Site and a Ramsar Site. However, new wardens lacked basic equipment. Birdfair funded the provision of binoculars, boat engines, bird hides and other essential kit.
Year: 1992
Project name: ICBP Spanish Steppes Appeal
Birds that benefit: Great Bustard Otis tarda (VU), Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax (NT), Dupont’s Lark Chersophilus duponti (NT)
Amount raised: £30,000 Despite supporting three-quarters of the world’s Little Bustards, Spain’s sweeping grasslands faced destruction by large-scale irrigation schemes funded by the EU. The Spanish Steppes campaign was one of the first truly effective examples of European-level collaborative conservation across the newly remodelled BirdLife International partnership.
Year: 1993
Project name: BirdLife International Polish Wetlands
Birds that benefit: Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola (VU), Corncrake Crex crex
Amount raised: £40,000 Birdfair funded the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP, BirdLife partner) to update its directory of wetland IBAs (Important Bird and Biodiversity Area) and seek effective protection for these areas. Funds also went towards Poland’s first reserve in the Swina Estuary to protect Aquatic Warblers. Such efforts have slowed this species’ decline in central Europe.
Year: 1994
Project name: Project Halmahera
Birds that benefit: Standardwing Bird-of-paradise Semioptera wallacii
Amount raised: £41,000 In 1994, Halmahera was the largest Indonesian island not to possess any National Parks or other protected areas. Focusing on this little-known tropical paradise raised much-needed awareness. Birdfair funded research to pinpoint priority areas for protection. Sadly, civil unrest in the area disrupted the process, but BirdLife clung on, and the first National Park was declared in 2004.
Year: 1995
Project name: Moroccan Wetlands Project
Birds that benefit: Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris (CR), Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris (VU), Audouin’s Gull Larus audouinii (NT)
Amount raised: £45,000 Sandwiched between sea and desert, the wetlands along the Moroccan coast are a lifeline for migrating waterbirds. But they are also under pressure from human use. Birdfair funded the better management of key sites along this route, including school and community engagement programmes.
Year: 1996
Project name: Ke Go Forest