British Birdwatching Fair facts for kids

The British Birdwatching Fair, also known as Birdfair, was a large yearly event for people who enjoy watching birds. It took place every August at Rutland Water in England. Staff and volunteers from the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust organized it.

The Birdfairs in 2020 and 2021 were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2021, the fair was stopped permanently due to money worries. However, by January 2022, one of the original creators of Birdfair, Tim Appleton MBE, announced a new event. This new event was called 'Global BirdFair'. In March 2022, it was officially announced that Global Birdfair would happen at a new place, Rutland Showground, from July 15–17, 2022.

Many people called Birdfair "the birder's Glastonbury". This meant it was a very popular and important event for birdwatchers. Lots of companies that sell binoculars, cameras, books, clothes, and other birdwatching gear came to show and sell their products. Artists and tour companies also had displays. There were also talks and other fun activities.

The very first fair was held in 1989. All the money the organizers earned was given to a charity. This charity was called Birdlife International. Before the 2008 fair, visitors had helped raise £1,488,000 for protecting birds around the world. The 2018 fair alone raised £322,000. This brought the total amount raised since the start to £4,679,152.

Other countries have started similar bird fairs. These include the South American Bird Fair, which began in 2010. The Amazon Birding Fest has also been held since 2019.

Birdfair Themes and Fundraising

Each year, the Birdfair focused on a different project to raise money for bird conservation. Here is a list of these themes and about how much money was raised for each:

• 1989: Stop the Massacre Campaign in Malta (£3,000)
• 1990: Helping Save Spain's Doñana National Park (£10,000)
• 1991: Protecting the Danube Delta (£20,000)
• 1992: Spanish Steppes Appeal (£30,000)
• 1993: Polish Wetlands (£40,000)
• 1994: Project Halmahera, Indonesia (£45,000)
• 1995: Moroccan Wetlands Project (£47,000)
• 1996: Kẻ Gỗ Nature Reserve Forest Project, Vietnam (£55,000)
• 1997: Mindo Important Bird Area Project, Ecuador (£60,000)
• 1998: Threatened Birds Programme (£120,000)
• 1999: Rescuing Brazil's Atlantic Forests (£130,000)
• 2000: Save the Albatross Campaign (£122,000)
• 2001: Eastern Cuba – Saving a Unique Caribbean Wilderness (£135,000)
• 2002: Saving the Last Lowland Rainforests in Sumatra (£147,000)
• 2003: Saving Madagascar's Fragile Wetlands (£157,000)
• 2004: Saving Northern Peru's Dry Forests (£164,000)
• 2005: Saving Gurney's Pittas and their Forest Home (£200,000)
• 2006: Saving the Pacific's Parrots (£215,000)
• 2007: Preventing Extinctions Programme (£226,000)
• 2008: Preventing Extinctions Programme (£265,000)
• 2009: Preventing Extinctions Programme (£263,000)
• 2010: Southern Ethiopian Endemics (£243,000)
• 2011: Flyways – The Eurasian-African Flyway (£227,000)
• 2012: Flyways – The East Asian-Australian Flyway (£200,000)
• 2013: Flyways – The Americas Flyway (£270,000)
• 2014: Protecting the World's Seas and Oceans (£280,000)
• 2015: Protecting Migratory Birds of the Eastern Mediterranean (£320,000)
• 2016: Saving IBAs in Africa (£350,000)
• 2017: Saving Paradise in the Pacific (Rapa Iti) (£333,000)
• 2018: Mar Chiquita: A Haven for Argentina's Flamingos (£322,000)
• 2019: Conserving Cambodia’s Big Five in Western Siem Pang (£155,000)
• 2020: The Birdfair was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online event took place instead.
• 2021: The fair was canceled again because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 2022: Global Birdfair took place at Rutland Showground from July 15–17, 2022.

See also

In Spanish: British Birdwatching Fair para niños