Celebrate the Trust's 40th anniversary with a gift to help all our owls and other magnificent birds of prey continue to fly free in the wild. With your backing we can do much more.
The Trust was founded 40 years ago to help save birds like the peregrine, devastated by the effects of DDT in the food chain.
So much achieved...
Since then we have gone on to:
- Spearhead the campaign to save the barn owl, create habitat and put up nestboxes
- Help protect the UK's last red kites so that, against all odds, they managed to hang on
- Advise farmers how to attract owls and other special birds back on to their land
- Create reserves as havens for birds of prey - and the web of life on which they depend
Today peregrines are expanding into towns, and red kites soar over England and Scotland. Barn owl numbers have stabilised Ð although four out of five pairs now depend on nestboxes.
...so much still to do
Owls and other birds of prey continue to face deadly threats - from outright persecution to drastic loss of habitat and nest sites. Thirteen of the UK's 20 species are of particular conservation importance, including two listed in the highest category as needing urgent action.
That's why the Trust team, dedicated to ensuring all these birds have a future, needs your backing for vital conservation, research and education work.
Our target is to raise £40,000 this anniversary year. The Trust has high hopes of raising £20,000 through grants and sponsorships. Now we are looking to you to help us raise the rest Ð £20,000 that will make such a difference.
Giving these birds a future
Alarmingly, the once-familiar kestrel is now thought to be declining. To tackle this, the Trust has begun installing nestboxes near selected roads across the country. But we need to do more.
Nestboxes are also crucial for barn, tawny and little owls. So too are baskets for long-eared owls. We are harnessing community enthusiasm to discover more about this secretive owl and plan the best ways to sustain it. We are also backing research into why the enchanting little owl is declining. Please help us to continue this work.
Vital habitats
Award-winning Sculthorpe Moor in Norfolk is now a refuge for breeding marsh harriers. But we need to develop this very special wildlife reserve. Just to maintain an acre of reedbed takes £400.
And we also need help for our other exciting reserves.
Transformation of Shapwick Moor from intensively farmed land into a significant reserve on the Somerset Levels is still in its early stages.
Additional work is needed to restore neglected ditches and increase the amount of open water so that the aerobatic hobby is a more regular sight there.
Fylingdales Moor, North Yorkshire, is vital for the UK's smallest falcon, the merlin. We're also managing this vast wild area for the short-eared owl and other fantastic birds. Now we need to improve access with a special, informative trail, introducing more people to the wonderful wildlife - and getting them on-side for birds of prey generally.
Getting the message across
Introducing more children - as well as adults - to the excitement of hawks and owls is essential if birds of prey are to flourish in the wild. Our education team does just that, and we need your backing to continue and expand this work.
Donate now
Forty years on, these are just some of the challenges facing the Trust. 
Help us meet these challenges. Let's give everyone the chance to thrill to the fantastic birds of prey we are all so passionate about.
Thank you.
