The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment through public awareness campaigns, petitions and through the operation of nature reserves throughout the United Kingdom.
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by listening for bird sounds, or by watching public webcams.
Robert 'Rob' Hume is an English ornithologist, author and journalist specialising in avian and natural history subjects. From Spring 1989, until Summer 2009, he was editor of the RSPB's award-winning Birds magazine, having previously edited the young people's award-winning version, Bird Life, at the RSPB's headquarters, The Lodge.
Stephen Moss is an English natural historian, birder, author, and television producer.
Mark Carwardine is a British zoologist who achieved widespread recognition with his 20-year conservation project – Last Chance to See – which involved round-the-world expeditions with Douglas Adams and Stephen Fry. The first series was aired on BBC Radio 4 in 1990, and the second, a TV series, on BBC2 in 2009. There are two books about the project: Last Chance to See, which he co-wrote with Adams (1990), and Last Chance to See: In the footsteps of Douglas Adams (2009). He is a leading and outspoken conservationist, and a prolific broadcaster, columnist and photographer.
Seawatching is a type of birdwatching where participants observe seabirds from a fixed point on the mainland. They may do this from a coastal location, usually a headland, looking out to sea, or from a boat or ship.
Christopher Gary Packham CBE is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work including the CBBC children's nature series The Really Wild Show from 1986 to 1995. He has also presented the BBC nature series Springwatch, including Autumnwatch and Winterwatch, since 2009.
Dominic Couzens is a British birdwatcher, author and journalist specialising in avian and natural history subjects.
Eric John Hosking OBE was an English photographer noted for his bird photography.
Ynys-hir RSPB reserve is a nature reserve of the RSPB situated beside the Dyfi estuary in Ceredigion, mid Wales between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth. The reserve covers 550 hectares and includes a variety of habitats extending inland from mudflats and salt marsh through farmland and pools to oak woodland and hillside scrub. Facilities include a small visitor centre and seven hides.
Geoffrey James Harwood Moon was a New Zealand naturalist, ornithologist, conservationist, veterinary surgeon and photographer. He was the author and photographer of many books on New Zealand birds and landscape. Moon was the patron of the Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust and the Photographic Society of New Zealand. He was also a Waitakere arts laureate, a distinguished life member of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, an honorary fellow of the Photographic Society of New Zealand and an associate of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.
Birds and People is a ten-year-long, groundbreaking collaboration between the publishers Random House and BirdLife International, to survey and document worldwide, the cultural significance of birds. The Birds and People project involves an open internet forum, for individuals worldwide to document their reflections, experiences and stories about birds. Established by the leading naturalist and author Mark Cocker in collaboration with the eminent wildlife photographer David Tipling and the Natural history specialist, Jonathan Elphick, the Birds and People project is a new experiment in natural history and cultural anthropology.
"The sense of freedom evoked by birds in flight has been a source of inspiration alike to tribal communities and the world’s major civilisations. Writers, poets, artists and composers have drawn on the qualities of birds for thousands of years. Today birds often play the role of ambassador in our entire relationship with nature. For environmentalists they are collectively the miner’s canary, their populations helping us to gauge the health of natural environments from the inner-city to the remote Arctic tundra. Yet our connections with birds far exceed any simple utilitarian value. Very often at a domestic level they are cherished for their own sake, as simple companions, as aesthetic adornments and as expression of some unspoken bond between ourselves and the rest of nature.
Jonathan Elphick is a natural history author, editor and consultant. He is an eminent ornithologist, a qualified zoologist; Fellow of the Zoological Society of London and a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. He is author of The Birdwatcher's Handbook: A Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland; Birds: The Art of Ornithology and The Natural History Museum Atlas of Bird Migration: Tracing the Great Journeys of the World's Birds, which received Bird Watching Magazine's 'Best Bird Reference Book of the Year'; as well as co-author of the Encyclopedia of Animals; the RSPB Pocket Birds; A Unique Photographic Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe with Jonathan Woodward and The National Parks and other Wild Places of Britain and Ireland, with photography by David Tipling.
Peter Conder, OBE was a British ornithologist and conservationist known predominantly for his contribution as Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Eric Arthur Simms, DFC was an English ornithologist, naturalist, writer, sound recordist, broadcaster and conservationist, as well as a decorated wartime Bomber Command pilot/ bomb-aimer.
The birds of Cornwall are in general a selection of those found in the whole of the British Isles, though Cornwall's position at the extreme south-west of Great Britain results in many occasional migrants. The nightingale is one English bird which is virtually absent from Cornwall.
Afocal photography, also called afocal imaging or afocal projection is a method of photography where the camera with its lens attached is mounted over the eyepiece of another image forming system such as an optical telescope or optical microscope, with the camera lens taking the place of the human eye.
Bird Watching is a British four-weekly magazine for birdwatchers, established in March 1986. Distributed by subscription and also through newsagents, it has, as of March 2020, a cover price of £4.60.
Terence Lambert is a British wildlife painter. His work has been reproduced in more than forty publications.
Michael Warren is an English artist, known for painting birds. He has designed several series of commemorative postage stamps and book jackets, as well as publishing books of his own work. His works have also featured on the cover of the RSPB's Birds magazine. He is a member of the Society of Wildlife Artists and the Artists for Nature Foundation.
