Little Owl · © Birding in Greece
Ethical Birding
Good birding leaves no trace
We believe birdwatching should always put birds and their welfare first. Every tour we lead follows a simple Ethical Birding Code that reflects our commitment to responsible, respectful and sustainable birding. These principles guide the way we observe, photograph and interact with wildlife, nature and local communities.
Our code in the field
- 1
Birds come first
The well-being of every bird and its habitat is always a priority. If a bird shows any signs of stress, we move away.
- 2
Keep a respectful distance
We always stay well back from nests, roosts, and breeding sites, and we never flush a bird to get a better look.
- 3
No playback
We never use any type of calls or songs to attract birds. The search for a species relies solely on knowledge, patience, and respect.
- 4
No feeding or baiting
We do not feed birds to attract them, and we do not collaborate with anyone who lures birds using food or live animals. Licensed hides are the sole exception to this rule.
- 5
Ethical photography
We do not use flash or flashlights on birds at night, and we never remove vegetation or other parts of the habitat to get a better shot.
- 6
Respect nature & people
We follow the regulations of national parks, Natura 2000 sites, and other protected areas. We stay on designated trails, close gates behind us, and always ask for permission before entering farmland or pastureland. We never leave litter behind or damage natural habitats in any way.
- 7
Sensitive sites stay secret
We never publish the exact locations of nests or sensitive breeding species (raptors, owls), even in our Rarity Alerts.
- 8
Licensed & approved hides only
We work exclusively with officially licensed hides that operate responsibly, protecting local avifauna and supporting conservation efforts.
- 9
Support local economy
Whenever possible, we give priority to family-run guesthouses, restaurants and local cuisine, so that birding benefits the places we visit.
- 10
Give back
We regularly participate in volunteer activities and monitoring programs of the Hellenic Ornithological Society, contributing to the protection of birds and their habitats. Birding in Greece also collaborates with the Hellenic Rarities Committee, to which we submit all of our rare and noteworthy sightings.
Conservation
We support the Hellenic Ornithological Society
The Hellenic Ornithological Society (Ελληνική Ορνιθολογική Εταιρεία) is the BirdLife International partner in Greece. It protects the wetlands, islands and mountains our tours depend on, and runs the monitoring that tells us how Greek birds are doing.
We support its work and encourage our guests to do the same. You can join or donate directly on its website.
Citizen science
We support eBird
eBird, run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is one of the largest citizen science projects in the world. Every checklist a birder submits becomes data that scientists and conservationists use to follow bird populations, migration and the places birds need.
Citizen science matters to us, and eBird is part of everything we do. Our guides submit checklists from their days in the field, we plan our tours with eBird's tools, from hotspots and species maps to bar charts of when each bird is present, and our trip reports are built from eBird trip reports.
The founding members of our team are also volunteer eBird regional reviewers for several regions of Greece. They check the records submitted there, so that the Greek data stay accurate and useful for science and conservation.
We encourage everyone, and especially our guests, to use eBird and to share their sightings. On tour we are happy to help you get started.