What is BirdLife International's EuroBirdwatch?
BirdLife International’s EuroBirdwatch (formerly known as European Birdwatch) is an annual event comprising hundreds of nationally-organised activities all over Europe. It provides an excellent opportunity to explore the magic and beauty of birds in the wild.
EuroBirdwatch events give everyone a superb chance to get out, observe and enjoy Europe’s wild birds at first hand in a special weekend of activities, usually the first weekend of October, organised by BirdLife’s National Partners.
 G Godino - Archivio LIPU Rende
A birdwatching event organised by LIPU (BirdLife in Italy)
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Part of a BirdLife global initiative: World Birdwatch and the history of EuroBirdwatch
EuroBirdwatch is part of World Birdwatch – a global initiative established over 10 years ago by BirdLife International.
In 1993, the first World Birdwatch was held to promote interest in and appreciation of nature through birding. The goal was to encourage as many people as possible to go birdwatching over one weekend, and to record sightings of as many as possible of the world’s 10,000 bird species.
Since then, World Birdwatch has become a regular event, taking place every two years. So far, more than 750,000 people have participated from all over the world. EuroBirdwatch has developed as a successful spin-off from this initiative, and has been held annually since.
In 2001, BirdLife International organised the first World Bird Festival, which was repeated in 2004. The festival lasts a full month and features hundreds of exciting events all over the world, representing the largest ever celebration of birds. World Birdwatch and EuroBirdwatch herald the start of the festival in those years when it is held.
EuroBirdwatch 2007 took place during the weekend of 6-7 October and was organised by SVS/BirdLife Switzerland. In more than 25 countries, people observed birds and learned more about nature and the mysterious migration of birds. In most countries, participants found observation and information posts where knowledge and experiences about birds and nature could be exchanged. SVS/BirdLife Switzerland was acting as the European centre to process the data gathered during this weekend.
For more information, please visit: www.birdlife.ch/eurobirdwatch07