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Welcome to the Rare Bird Alert website

Established in 1991 Rare Bird Alert is the longest running instant birdnews service in the UK. Our team of experienced and dedicated birders check and send reports as soon as they break, sixteen hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Ways to get our birdnews

We offer the most comprehensive range of birdnews services to suit all birders. If rarity hunting is your thing, just like to bird locally or only go birding occasionally we have a solution to meet your needs. If you would like any advice or help with any of our services please contact us today.

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Pagers

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Still the ultimate tool for birders in the field who don't want to miss news.

  • Unrivalled reception works in many parts of the country where mobiles don't. Particularly good coverage in rural 'birding' areas
  • Flexible change the areas you get news from whenever you want
  • Packages to suit all birders
    local pagers covering individual counties or entire coverage for the UK, you decide
  • TRY FOR FREE today
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From
£134
per year

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Online

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  • Live birdnews over 100,000 sightings per year, updated all day, every day
  • Newsmaps so you can see where the birds are
  • Photo Gallery share your photos of birds in Britain
  • Previous Records fully searchable database of all the accepted rarities in Britain and Ireland, including maps, stats and photos
  • Articles finders' accounts, identification papers, news stories and much more
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Only
£59.99
per year

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Phones

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iPhone and Android App

  • Alerts instant alerts on breaking news
  • Browse the news search the news using quick links or build advanced filters
  • Gallery latest UK bird photos

Text messages

  • Instant text alerts to breaking news to any phone
  • Great for occasional use
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From
£59.99
per year

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Latest article

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Three gulls and an island

On Scotland's Isle of May new research reveals how Lesser Black-backed, Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls divide their feeding grounds. More here >

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Only one Swallow - But sweeping claims?

Can a single geolocator justify bold conclusions about an entire migratory subspecies? More here >

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Tourism on the back of the dead - Should carcasses be left to rot for the benefit of birders?

Tracking technology and tourist surveys offer a new path for sustainable vulture-watching away from artificial feeding stations. More here >

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When technology undermines survival - The hidden toll of backpack tags on migratory geese

New research using GPS tracking at Poyang Lake uncovers survival risks, from tag design to wind speeds, that shape the fate of released geese. More here >

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Hornbills caught in the act: A surprising aerial assault on bats in Borneo

New field observations reveal Bushy-crested Hornbills in Malaysia actively hunting flying bats in a manner previously undocumented for the species. More here >