About Bird of Prey Watch UK
A dedicated community monitoring initiative documenting raptor distributions, hunting behaviors, and migration patterns across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Native, resident & seasonal migrants
Logged by birders & field naturalists
Shetland Isles down to Scilly Isles
🎯 Our Mission
Birds of prey occupy the top of the avian food chain, making them critical bio-indicators of habitat health, prey abundance, and wider biodiversity throughout the British countryside.
From Red Kite recolonisation successes to the ongoing struggles of upland Hen Harriers, accurate sightings data offers invaluable insight into how British raptors navigate an increasingly fragmented landscape. Bird of Prey Watch UK connects casual observers, amateur birders, and experienced ornithologists into a unified, open recording platform.
Schedule 1 Species Policy & Nesting Privacy
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, all wild birds, their nests, and their eggs are protected by UK law. Species listed under Schedule 1 receive special protection: it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb them while building a nest, in or near a nest containing eggs or young, or disturb their dependent young.
Automated Coordinate Generalisation
To prevent illegal human disturbance, photography interference, or egg persecution, our backend system automatically blurs coordinates for any observation flagged with the "Nesting" activity or marked as a sensitive Schedule 1 species (such as Hen Harrier, Osprey, and Merlin).
Exact GPS coordinates for these records are rounded to a roughly 10 km grid square on all public maps and API feeds.
📋 Field Code of Conduct
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01
The welfare of the bird comes first
Never approach a raptor closely enough to alter its natural behavior, flush it from a roost, or cause it to abandon prey or a hunting post.
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02
Keep nest locations confidential
Do not post exact grid coordinates or directions to active nests on social media, birding forums, or messaging groups.
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03
Respect public access and landowners
Stay on designated rights of way, close farm gates behind you, keep dogs on leads, and respect the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and Countryside Code in England and Wales.
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04
Avoid call playback
Do not use recorded calls, apps, or lures to draw birds closer, especially during the spring breeding and territorial season.
⚖️ Data Licensing & Privacy
All records submitted to Bird of Prey Watch UK are contributed on a non-exclusive basis for the benefit of British wildlife study. We collect minimal personal data: only your chosen display name and email address to verify submissions and prevent spam.
User passwords are encrypted with bcrypt, authentication uses secure HTTP-only cookies, and observer email addresses are never exposed on public map endpoints or API feeds.
Spotted a raptor today?
Log your observation to help build an accurate picture of British birds of prey.