Bird Fairs are events for birdwatchers and bird enthusiasts that usually happen annually. These events normally occur during important periods for bird observation, particularly during migration.
The fairs, or festivals, have the primary aim of gathering birdwatchers, but their purpose goes deeper into raising awareness for nature and bird conservation.
Bird Fairs offer a good opportunity to visit new places, meet new people and enjoy a great variety of bird-related activities. For example, from the typical birdwatching tours to bird ringing campaigns.
In these events, you will also find exhibitions from environmental (non-governmental) organisations, informal talks with experts, and even alternative outdoor activities, depending, of course, from fair to fair. There, birdwatching-related brands are normally present with their products, which can be a great chance to try out some equipment and even get good deals.
Here’s a list of the upcoming birding fairs in Europe:
1. Global Birdfair - British Bird Fair - 15 - 17 July. Rutland, UK
2. MigFest 2022 - Spurn Migration Festival - 9 - 11 September. Spurn Peninsula on Yorkshire’s East Coast, UK
3. Delta Birding Festival - 23 - 25 September. Catalonia Spain
https://deltabirdingfestival.com/
4. Sagres Birdwatching Festival - 1 - 5 October 2022, Sagres Portugal
https://www.birdwatchingsagres.com/
There are also two other fairs that are still not confirmed for 2022:
5. Doñana Birdfair - July (Unconfirmed). Doñana Spain
http://www.donanabirdfair.es/home-2/
6. ObservaRia - September (Unconfirmed). Estarreja, Portugal
Bear in mind that some of them are well-known and receive thousands of visitors. Therefore, the whole program or, at least, some activities might need a ticket or reservation in advance. So, we invite you to look at the programs already available and book your place in the activities you wish to participate in.
Another thing to take into consideration is that some fairs offer the possibility of staying on a camping side nearby, which may allow you to reduce some costs.
As B Journal Editions, like the previous year, we will be at the Sagres Birdwatching Festival. So, in case this is one of the festivals you are thinking of visiting, stay tuned to know about the activities we will develop there.