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Writer's pictureGyorgy Szimuly (Szimi)

The power of our shorebird community


The Hooded Plover is in danger an this photo tells the whole story. Photo courtesy of BirdLife Australia


In the last few years shorebird-loving community has grown to promising levels and many of the thousands are actively participating in conservation efforts, scientific or citizen science projects. This is a great potential for developing an even larger network involving a lot of young birdwatchers and conservationists.

World Shorebirds Day is focusing on these directions and pledging new and young members with the help of experienced conservationists. Undoubtedly shorebirds need help and maintaining their habitats requires an ever more intensive field work, launching new stewardship programs, with the involvement of young birders, and research projects but getting the adequate funding for all these activities requires support from this growing community.

Fundraising is a sensitive and very tiring part of all conservation activities but it cannot be avoided. Most of us think that what can be afforded for donations won’t make any difference. This is wrong. It does make a difference. Have you ever seen a campaign saying donate just a ‘price of a coffee’? Just do the math. We all have different financial circumstances but the large majority of this community can probably afford a coffee once a year or better once a month.

Under the umbrella of our popular ‘Shorebird of the Year’ program we launched a fundraising campaign for ensuring future protection of the charismatic Australian endemic shorebird, the Hooded Plover, in partnership with BirdLife Australia. As World Shorebirds Day is not an charity and having no bank account, donations go directly to the Beach-nesting Bird Program of BirdLife Australia.

No-one has ever become poor by giving

— Anne Frank

Our community, the ‘I Love Shorebirds’ on Facebook is over 7,180 members and the World Shorebirds Day Facebook page counts nearly 3,000 members. Think about giving away the price of a cup of coffee once or once a month. On behalf of World Shorebirds Day I have started donating on a monthly basis and urge you to join me.


The choice is yours and I just can hope that this short post will encourage you to give £/$/€2 for Hooded Plovers today. We could easily hit the target of £10,000. It is a much better feeling clicking on this donation button than reading and feeling sorry over an article about vanished Hooded Plover populations.

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