The Big Poole Harbour Bird Count is a quarterly, harbour-wide, citizen-birding project that encourages the community to get out and record the birdlife across the local area. With your help, we have surveyed every corner of the harbour during the winter and autumn seasons and generated valuable community science data. This all helps us build a better understanding of the ecology and trends of birds using Poole Harbour throughout the year. You can explore the results and data from our previous counts on our interactive webpage.

How to get involved:

It’s simple, go birding on Sunday 15th May and record what you see! This could be a nearby park, urban space, nature reserve, or even your own back garden (please ensure you have permission to be there first). If you’re not sure where to go, why not head to our Go Birding webpage to look for inspiration. Once you’re out and about, make a note of the species you identify and the total number of individuals of each species you count. Please also document the names of those taking part (this information will not be shared), the location where you were birdwatching and what times you were there.

To make submitting your records as easy as possible we’ve created a species recording sheet, available to download below. Once completed, please email to sightings@birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk.

Big Bird Count Recording Sheet – Spring 2022

Alternatively you can submit your sightings via eBird or BirdTrack. Please note, any sensitive records (e.g. rare breeding birds) will not appear in Bird Track or eBird checklists, so please share any sensitive records with us directly by email. The Big Bird Count data output will also restrict these “sensitive species” to protect the species from exploitation and still help inform research and conservation for the species.

When you head out we recommend taking some binoculars with you as this will help you identify the birds that you see. But don’t worry if not, or even if you only see a few birds: all sightings are valuable so please share them with us! May is a magical month as summer migrants arrive en masse to claim breeding territories, so there should be plenty to spot.

Want to hit the ground running? We’re running an Up With The Lark Cruise 7AM to 10AM on the morning of the Big Bird Count. Help us survey the harbour on the 3-hr cruise while learning bird songs and calls in the process!