Five years ago Birdingplaces started as a platform where birders could find and share interesting birdwatching areas. Would it be possible to connect birders across the world and let them share their knowledge about their favourite bird areas? Yes it was! Five years later more than a million birders use www.Birdingplaces.com. An interview with founder Chris van der Heijden.
Birdingplaces.com was launched five years ago as a community where birders could find and share interesting birding areas. The platform became an instant hit among birders. How was that possible?
Founder of Birdingplaces Chris van der Heijden: ‘The idea was to become a valuable resource and to create a free site guide for birders. It was exciting when we launched the website, but we were also holding our breath. Adding and describing a birdwatching area on Birdingplaces takes some time. Depending on how extensively you describe the area, it takes about half an hour to an hour of your time. Would birdwatchers be willing to make that investment of time? But to our great relief, birdwatchers from all over Europe started adding areas almost immediately. Birdwatchers loved sharing their knowledge. The described areas poured in. In the first year we had hoped for a few hundred described areas, but it turned out to be no less than 1500. And from there on it just went crazy. Birdwatchers from the rest of the world joined in and now we have more than 8000 areas described in detail and every day new ones are added. In 2024 we had more than a million birders using or visiting the website. We still look back on it with amazement, but also with great satisfaction of course.’
What makes the information on Birdingplaces so attractive to birdwatchers?
Chris van der Heijden: ‘Anyone can understand and use the platform, the website is very intuitive and user-friendly. You just click on ‘Find a Birdingplace’ and your off. On the large overview map you can click on a bird area and you will immediately get all the information you need to enjoy birdwatching in that area. Including a detailed description, map, list of bird species, photos, walking routes, bird hides, viewpoints, parking places, the best time to visit, etc. Its simple and easy.
But the most important reason why Birdingplaces is attractive for birders is that the areas are described by birdwatchers who live in the area themselves. They know the area like no other. The information is therefore of a high standard. It is fantastic to see that thousands of birders now use Birdingplaces intensively to plan their bird trips at home or abroad. We regularly receive thank-you mails from birdwatchers who have planned their entire holiday with the help of Birdingplaces and have seen all kinds of special birds. That is so nice to hear. That is what we do it for.’
Birdingplaces is free for all users, but has no ads. How do you generate income to keep the website running?
Chris van der Heijden: ‘First of all Birdingplaces is mainly run by volunteers. That helps a lot to cut the costs. But of course we have expenses for maintenance, designing, webhosting and more. We can do this without adds because off the donation button on the website. Many birders help us with a donation and we rely on these donations to keep the website running. In addition, we have Leica as a main sponsor. Leica immediately saw the potential of our idea and supported us from the beginning. We are very happy that Leica makes it possible to keep the website running without ads and flashing banners that would spoil our user-friendly design.’
Aren’t you afraid that birds or habitats of birds might be disturbed by visitors?
Chris van der Heijden: ‘Birdingplaces was founded precisely for the purpose to contribute to the protection of birds and their habitats. That is the objective behind the website. The more people watch and enjoy birds, the more people will want to commit to their conservation. Protecting birds is therefore very important to us. We monitor the content on Birdingplaces closely. If there is an area or a place where disturbance might occur, we will remove the text or the area from the website. Protecting birds comes first!’
www.Birdingplaces.com is made by and for birders and supported by Leica.