Donate today

Virtual 'Lifer Tin'

The 'Lifer Tin' or 'Tick Jar' is a long-standing tradition at bird observatories. Spurn Bird Observatory’s original 'Lifer Tin' bears the inscription: "Following the finding of a Pallas’s Warbler on 22nd October 1960, P. H. S. Wolstenholme and J. M. Butterworth suggested the inauguration of a Lifer Tin, into which visitors to the observatory might like to contribute 1p each time they see a species new to them (or, for the wealthier observers, 3p for rare birds). The contributions to the Lifer Tin are used for the purchase of reference books for the observatory library." This tin still resides today in the observatory hostel.

Traditionally, the suggested donation amount was based on the length of your existing 'life list'—the larger the list, the more you would donate, as spotting new species becomes increasingly difficult. Conversely, those just starting their listing 'career' would contribute less. Or, in the case of this particular Lifer Tin, the amount was based on how wealthy you were!

In today’s world, we do not wish to specify a donation amount for the 'Lifer Tin' (but perhaps more than 1p?). However, if you would like to make a donation after seeing a new species in the Spurn recording area, it would be greatly appreciated. Your donation supports crucial work at the observatory, from wildlife monitoring and habitat management to research, public engagement, and providing support to residential volunteers starting their conservation careers. These efforts help create a place for these special birds to stop, refuel, and be observed responsibly before continuing their epic journeys.

Thank you for your support and for keeping the 'Lifer Tin' tradition alive!

To donate to the Virtual Lifer Tin, scan the QR code below or use this [link], choose or enter the amount you’d like to contribute, and tick the Gift Aid box if you are a UK Tax payer, so we can boost your donation by 25% at no cost to you!

Securing the future

Spurn Bird Observatory is truly grateful for the support given by the ‘Friends of Spurn’. We want you to know that we don’t take that support for granted and in return we are always striving to provide something special, to make your visits to Spurn more memorable than before. You’ve already been very generous to us, enabling the Observatory to purchase land at Church Field, Corner Field, Sykes Field and now Schipper's Field. The habitat in these areas is being actively and thoughtfully managed to provide food and shelter for migrant birds.

The only way we were able to purchase all of these parcels of land is through the support of people like you. That is why we have set up the 'Securing the Future' fund where you can donate regularly towards any potential future land purchases. To make an offer on any such land, we would need to act quickly with funds already in place, not straightforward when you are a small charity funded largely by the overnight accommodation fees on our four rooms!

So to enable the Observatory to be able to purchase land in the future we have set up a land purchase fund, under the heading 'Securing the Future'. If every Friend of Spurn was to donate just £1 a week by Direct Debit, we would within a few years have accumulated a significant sum that we could use to purchase more land. That’s just £1 a week - not even half a pint of beer or a packet of crisps these days!! We keep any money donated to 'Securing the Future' ring fenced and distinct from our regular account, untouched until it is ready to be used. Please consider contributing in this way. It would help safeguard the future development of SBO and preserve the bird and wildlife haven that is Spurn.