Bird watching is common in two age groups. Both young and older people are well represented in RSPB membership but people of middle ages are less involved in bird watching activities.

They are likely to be members of the national representative organisation of the activity, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which represents an estimated 50% of ornithologists or bird watchers.

Codes of practice, information programmes and interpretative signing developed by the RSPB and other bodies such as the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust are already well developed and generally adhered to by participants.

Participants will tend to have a keen awareness of environmental issues.

Main targeted publications for this activity are Birdlife, an RSPB publication for younger members, and Wildfowl and Wetlands, with circulations of 77,000 and 34,000 respectively. Birds is the central publication produced by the RSPB and is circulated to the majority of its membership.

Both publications carry extensive news items and features on environmental issues.

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