Save migratory birds by birdwatching

This video says about itself:

Champions of the Flyway – Birding Extreme!

17 August 2014

Extreme Birding in full power!

A major new international bird race has been taking place in Eilat, Israel – one of the world’s most spectacular migration hot spots and rewarding birding destinations.

2015

The next Eilat Birds Festival will take place on the 15-22 March 2015, we are already taking bookings so don’t hesitate and migrate south to Eilat for a birding vacation of a lifetime!

See you in the field!

Jonathan Meyrav on behalf of the festival staff

From BirdLife:

The 2015 Champions of the Flyway race will take place 25th March 2015 – THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO GET INVOLVED!

By BirdLife Europe, Fri, 27/02/2015 – 09:22

In 2014, the Israel Ornithological Center (SPNI; BirdLife in Israel) and BirdLife International launched a new and exciting project – Champions of the Flyway. This annual race aims to raise funds to tackle the illegal killing of birds in Europe. This race is anything but common: teams from around the world come together and compete to observe and register as many bird species as possible within a 24 hour period.

Each year, the funds gathered by sponsors, participants and supporters will be used to support a different Conservation NGO’s work on illegal killing of birds. Last year, $30,000 was raised and given to Bird Conservation Georgia (SABUKO), which used the money for the Batumi bottleneck project. This project saw the creation of a feature length documentary about the incredible annual migration of nearly 1 million raptors over Western Georgia. This project also supported educational programs for children and work with local communities on the implications of illegal trapping and hunting.

Birders taking part in the inaugural 2014 event were of many different nationalities and represented many different businesses, conservation organisations and bird clubs. The 2014 winners were the Palestine Sunbirders, a joint Israeli-Palestinian team that recorded an impressive 169 species. Aware of their advantage in the field, they shared the coveted “Champions of the Flyway” title with the first place international team from the U.S., the Cornell Ebirders.

The next race for the Champions of the Flyway is taking place in Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city on the Red Sea, and one of the world’s most spectacular migratory hot spots. Donations raised from this event will go to BirdLife Cyprus, to help them tackle the overwhelming scale of illegal bird killing and trapping that occurs on this small Mediterranean island. See below how to participate.

BirdLife Cyprus plans to use the funds to tackle the illegal killing problem through a range of activities: continuing the systematic monitoring of birds that has been undertaken every spring and autumn since 2002; developing strategic action plans at a national level to deter illegal hunting and raise awareness at a social level; creating an awareness-raising campaign inspired by their 152 species affected by illegal trapping; and creation of a banding station for birds in Cape Greco to teach communities about birds and their habitats.

You can easily take part in the Champions of the Flyway in one of the following ways:

Create a Team – To take part in the race, please come to Eilat in spring 2015. All you need is to enlist 2 friends and create a team. Please feel free to contact us for more details.

Sponsor a team – You can sponsor any team to help cover their participation costs.

Donate on behalf of your team – All teams are competing against each other to raise the most funds and be awarded with the Protectors of the Flyway prize. You can choose a team and pledge a donation on their behalf through their Just Giving page.

Support our work against the illegal killing of birds – All donations will be processed through BirdLife International.

Please join us in the Champions of the Flyway campaign, spread the word and donate. This is a chance for birders and nature lovers to actually make a difference, to directly take part in bird conservation. Together we can stop the illegal killing and allow birds to fly safely through the sky.

You can keep informed and follow the race at Twitter “Champs of the Flyway” @Flywaychampions