What is a bird observatory?
It's a place which conducts long-term monitoring of bird populations and migration.

Individual observatories are located at prime migration points where a daily census is taken in a defined recording area.

Bird ringing is an integral part of observatory work and is undertaken within the national British scheme coordinated by the British Trust for Ornithology. This provides data for guiding conservation policies of such bodies as  Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage and their counterparts in Ireland. 

The Observatories encourage volunteers to participate in scientific studies of birds and the environment. The results of these studies and more general information are made freely available to researchers and to the public who are welcome to visit observatories.

What is the Bird Observatories Council?
The Bird Observatories Council co-ordinates and promotes the work of the bird observatories at a national level. Individual observatories are accredited to the Council when they meet specified criteria relating to activities and facilities. Click here to see what is required for this.

All the accredited observatories are listed left. The links open a new window and take you either to the observatory's own website.

For information about the Bird Observatories Council contact the secretary

Peter Howlett  

c/o  Dept of BioSyB, National Museum Wales, Cardiff. CF10 3NP. WALES

Tel.  ++ 44 (0)29 2057 3233

E-mail: here

Click here for contact details for individual observatories.