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Thank you Naturetrek! from Tim Appleton MBE, Global Birding

Across the Globe on 17th October, 7,115 species of birds – more than ¾ of the world’s bird population – were recorded for Global Bird Weekend. This set a new World Record, beating the previous 7,060 species seen in one day in May 2018. At Naturetrek you were a massive part of that World Record Event – I am incredibly grateful to you for all your support.

Firstly, your amazing team with representatives spanning the globe in 16 countries recording 1,066 species. Secondly, the incredible support from everyone at Naturetrek involved in raising over one fifth of our total funds. A staggering £4,759.48 was raised by Naturetrek on JustGiving to go towards BirdLife International’s Stop Illegal Bird Trade campaign. Thank you to everyone involved in this.

Global Birding and the idea of Global Bird Weekend was to encourage people to enjoy their local natural surroundings, as well as feeling part of a global event within the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The weekend brought birdwatchers together from 169 countries and from all seven continents. The number of people who have shared their experiences of the weekend via social media has been quite remarkable; check our social media via our website.

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Tim Appleton MBE
I was amazed at the response considering we only launched Global Birding in August 2020. Being able to unite a worldwide community for Global Bird Weekend by asking them to ‘Go Birding Together for Conservation’ went beyond my wildest dreams and has already produced significant scientific data and inspired new networks of communication. I am incredibly grateful for everyone’s support and look forward to the next Global Birding event… watch this space!