A new iPhone app that provides the public with the tools and information needed to experience Poole Harbour’s incredible birdlife is now available to download from the Apple App Store.

DOWNLOAD THE APP – Birds of Poole Harbour by Birds of Poole Harbour: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/birds-of-poole-harbour/id1455332227?mt=8 .

The iPhone app, which was created by Dorset-based charity Birds of Poole Harbour, launches on April 1^st and has been created to provide information on locations to watch and monitor birds, as well as allowing the public to input their own sightings to the charity.

Poole Harbour boasts some of the richest & rarest habitats in Europe and is nationally and internationally important for a whole range of bird species. With much of the harbour’s landscape in the hands of conservation, the variety and numbers of bird species present make it a birders’ paradise right through the year. The Birds of Poole Harbour charity’s main charitable objectives are to boost the profile of bird conservation, preservation and observation in and around Poole Harbour and, by providing an app for the public to use, the charity hopes it builds on a citizen-science approach to local conservation.

Paul Morton, one of the charities co-founders stated,

“We’re really proud of this new app. Providing people with the tools to learn about the harbour and to also submit their valuable sightings is an important step for local conservation. We know there are many people out there who enjoy watching birds around the harbour, but if we can extend that enjoyment to provide a conservation benefit then great”

The app, which focuses on 33 publicly accessible sites around Poole Harbour, provides information on the facilities at each site, the parking and cycling options, and detailed info on how and where to find birds at each location. It also provides a selection of seasonal highlights for each place plus a detailed account of every bird species that’s ever been logged in the harbour.

With scannable plaques placed at key spots around the harbour, instructing the public to download the app and scan the plaque, users will then be able to get site- and bird-information about the very spot they’re standing at. Then, once on the users phone the information will remain there to use in the future. The app wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of all the local landowners who kindly agreed to host the plaques on their land so people can discover the app and begin submitting their sightings.

Paul Morton added,

“We’d like to thank Borough of Poole (BCP), Dorset County Council, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Livability Holton Lee, National Trust, and RSPB for allowing us to place the app plaques on various fence posts at their sites as this demonstrates great partnership working and will both in the long and short term be a positive for local conservation”

The app, which is initially only being produced for Apple devices due to costs and  production time, will launch on April 1^st 2019. For those without an Apple device, don’t worry – the same information will be on the new Birds of Poole Harbour website, which will be available later in the year. Depending on the success of the first launch, an Android version may be considered in the near future.

Once users begin entering their bird sighting data through the app, it will then be collated and forwarded onto Birdtrack, which combines all bird records from across the county and enables the BTO to analyse and assess national bird populations. 

DOWNLOAD THE APP – Birds of Poole Harbour by Birds of Poole Harbour: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/birds-of-poole-harbour/id1455332227?mt=8