Bird of the Year 2010

BirdWatch Ireland needs you to help us to choose our "Bird of the Year" - a bird to represent the work that we do and that will appeal to our members and to the general public.  This is a campaign that we plan to run each year, and we would love for as many people as possible to be involved.

There are 4 candidates this year for the "Bird of the Year": all are of conservation significance and represent key aspects of our work.  Please vote for the bird of your choice by clicking on the appropriate link below.  The bird that receives the most votes will win - it's as simple as that.  You have until Friday 19th March to cast your vote, and the winner will be announced at our All Ireland Conference on Bird Conservation in Sligo from 26th to 28th March.

The Candidates

1. Puffin

This ever-popular seabird breeds in important numbers at various sites around the Irish coast, and makes an ideal ambassdor for our Save our Seabirds campaign.

Cast your vote for Puffin

2. Curlew

This enigmatic wader, an age-old symbol of wilderness, is threatened with extinction as an Irish breeding bird, and is one of the key species of our Breeding Wader project.

Cast your vote for Curlew

3. Hen Harrier

One of our most threatened birds of prey, the Hen Harrier has undergone a severe decline as a breeder, due in part to disturbance to its habitats.  It demonstrates very well the plight of Ireland's upland birds.

Cast your vote for Hen Harrier

4. Yellowhammer

One of Ireland's most brightly coloured and striking birds, this beautiful member of the bunting family has been lost across much of Ireland due mainly to changes in agriculture, a fate shared by many of our farmland species.

Cast your vote for Yellowhammer