Erie Bird Observatory

What Erie Bird Observatory does

Erie Bird Observatory (EBO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 and headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, dedicated to avian research, education, and conservation in northwest Pennsylvania. The organization's flagship scientific asset is the Fry's Landing Bird Banding Station at Presque Isle State Park, which has operated continuously since 1960 and constitutes one of the longest-running landbird monitoring programs in the region, generating 66 years of unbroken migration data. EBO also operates a Shorebird and Seabird Monitoring Program that participates in the Pennsylvania Piping Plover & Common Tern Recovery Partnership alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pennsylvania Game Commission, and it stewards volunteer programs for Bank Swallows, rooftop-nesting gulls, and osprey nesting platforms.

EBO's product surface spans scientific monitoring, public education, and fee-based experiences. Scientific work is conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit (USGS Bird Banding Lab) and includes landbird banding, shorebird and seabird monitoring, marsh bird surveys, and contribution to the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas. Public-facing offerings include the Fry's Landing banding station (open Fridays–Sundays during migration seasons), guided Birding by Kayak tours at Graveyard Pond, fee-based educational presentations ($120 virtual / $150 in-person) for schools, camps, libraries, and clubs, annual events such as the Pennsylvania Piping Plover Fest, Discover Presque Isle Week, and Wings of Spring fundraiser, plus resources including a Presque Isle birding map, birding hotspots content, and BirdCast migration tools.

EBO's revenue model is a hybrid of donations, fee-for-service programs, and merchandise. Donations flow through individual giving, Erie Gives and Crawford Gives annual giving days, PayPal Giving Fund, honorary gifts, and sponsorships. Earned revenue comes from education presentations, Birding by Kayak tours, and branded merchandise sold via a Bonfire storefront. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the EBO website, social media (@ErieBirdObservatory and @bird_erie), a newsletter, in-person events, and the physical banding station at Presque Isle. The organization serves conservation-minded individuals, educators, and regional partners in northwest Pennsylvania, with governance provided by a Board of Directors and leadership from Executive Director Holley Short and Director of Conservation Sarah Sargent.

Name

Erie Bird Observatory

Legal name

Erie Bird Observatory

Website

https://eriebirdobservatory.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Erie Bird Observatory is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 in Erie, Pennsylvania, conducting avian research, public education, and species conservation in northwest Pennsylvania, anchored by the Fry's Landing bird banding station at Presque Isle, which has operated continuously since 1960.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Erie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, Erie Gives and Crawford Gives annual giving days, PayPal Giving Fund donations, honorary gifts, and sponsorship programs.
2. Education Program Fees: Virtual presentations at $120, in-person presentations at $150, with additional mileage reimbursement for events outside Erie.
3. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including apparel sold through Bonfire storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Erie Bird Observatory is a nonprofit organization that conducts avian research, education, and conservation in northwest Pennsylvania. It operates the long-running Presque Isle Bird Banding Station (since 1960), monitors federally-endangered Piping Plovers and Common Terns, runs citizen science and stewardship programs (Bank Swallow, Gull Rescue), delivers fee-based educational presentations to schools and community groups, and hosts public events such as Birding by Kayak tours, Discover Presque Isle Week, Wings of Spring, and Pennsylvania Piping Plover Fest.

Product overview

Erie Bird Observatory operates as a non-profit avian research and education organization offering a portfolio of programs including public bird banding experiences at the Fry's Landing station (operating since 1960), shorebird and seabird monitoring for federally-endangered Piping Plovers, Bank Swallow stewardship, guided Birding by Kayak tours, educational presentations, and special events such as Discover Presque Isle Week, Wings of Spring fundraiser, and Pennsylvania Piping Plover Fest. The organization also provides educational resources including a Presque Isle Birding Map, Birding Hotspots information via birdinghotspots.org, BirdCast migration tools, rare bird alerts, and support for the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas. Additional programs include the Erie Gull Rescue Team and wildlife rehabilitation referrals through Tamarack Wildlife Center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fry's Landing Bird Banding Station Seasonal public bird banding station at Presque Isle State Park where federally-licensed banders measure and band wild migratory landbirds during spring and fall migration. Open to visitors Fridays through Sundays during banding season; welcomed a record 1,517 visitors in 2025.
• Shorebird and Seabird Monitoring Program Comprehensive monitoring program tracking shorebirds and seabirds including the federally-endangered Piping Plovers and Common Terns at Presque Isle State Park, the only nesting location for these species in Pennsylvania.
• Bank Swallow Stewardship Program
• Birding by Kayak Tours
• Outreach & Educational Presentations
• Discover Presque Isle Week
• Wings of Spring Fundraiser
• Pennsylvania Piping Plover Fest
• Branded Merchandise
• Erie Gull Rescue Team
• Wildlife Rehabilitation Referrals

Quantifiable outcome

• Record 1,517 public visitors to banding station in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Allegheny College (Community Impact Hub)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership with Allegheny College's Community Impact Hub for 8 weeks in summer 2025 to add content to birdinghotspots.org for the 74 eBird Hotspots in Crawford County. Students Jackie DiGiacomo and Izzie Rogerson visited hotspots to document parking, habitats, and trail information for visiting birders.
• Tamarack Wildlife CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for wildlife rehabilitation referrals and gull chick rescue operations. EBO assists with documenting and transporting injured/fallen gull chicks to the wildlife center.
• Presque Isle Audubon SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Erie Gull Task Force, collaborating on Ring-billed Gull rescue and monitoring efforts.
• Manomet Conservation SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBO Director Sarah Sargent participated in talk by Marcela Castellano, Manomet's Saline Lakes Conservation Specialist, regarding Wilson's Phalarope research. Manomet produces conservation plans for saline lake species.
• Pennsylvania Game CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead agency of Pennsylvania Piping Plover & Common Tern Recovery Partnership. EBO participates in monitoring and recovery efforts for federally-endangered Great Lakes Piping Plovers at Presque Isle.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency protecting Great Lakes Piping Plover as an endangered species. Partner in recovery partnership efforts.
• Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduces conservation plans for shorebird species including Wilson's Phalarope. EBO's Wilson's Phalarope nesting documentation contributes to their conservation data.
• Pennsylvania DCNRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment of Conservation and Natural Resources manages Presque Isle State Park where EBO conducts research. DCNR park staff work with EBO on habitat management for nesting birds.
• U.S. Army Corps of EngineersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Pennsylvania Piping Plover & Common Tern Recovery Partnership.
• Western Pennsylvania ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Piping Plover recovery efforts and conservation initiatives.
• expERIEnce Children's MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBO conducted WonderTime educational programming introducing children and families to birding through interactive activities.
• Inner City Neighborhood Art HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt-focused community organization where EBO conducted creative bird education programming with campers.
• LEAFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBO conducted bird walks with LEAF at Frontier Park as part of summer programming.
• Kowa OpticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated 6 pairs of binoculars to EBO for lending to new birders during outings, removing equipment barriers for community engagement.
• Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMCA President and Keynote Joe Siegrist participated in Wings of Spring event; EBO and PMCA share expertise on migratory bird conservation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Presque Isle Audubon Society: Local Audubon chapter operating in the same Erie/northwest Pennsylvania geography and partnering with EBO on the Erie Gull Task Force. Closest geographic peer.
• Long Point Bird Observatory: Canadian bird observatory on Lake Erie's north shore, operating long-running banding and migration monitoring. Strong methodological and geographic parallel but operates in Ontario, Canada.

Direct peers

• Manomet Bird Observatory: Massachusetts-based non-profit conducting bird banding, shorebird conservation (including Wilson's Phalarope), and long-term migration monitoring. EBO's director already engages with Manomet for shorebird expertise, making it a strong peer.
• Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: Pennsylvania-based non-profit raptor conservation and education organization operating raptor monitoring, banding, and public education programs. Same regional Pennsylvania footprint and mission emphasis on raptors/migratory birds.
• Point Blue Conservation Science: California-based non-profit (formerly Point Reyes Bird Observatory) running long-term bird banding stations and avian research stations across the Pacific Flyway. Closest structural peer in operating model — long-term banding station network as flagship asset.
• Black Swamp Bird Observatory: Ohio-based bird observatory operating a long-running bird banding station, conducting avian research, and providing education programs on Lake Erie shoreline migration. Directly comparable to EBO in mission, banding methodology, and Great Lakes shorebird focus.
• Powdermill Avian Research Center: Carnegie Museum of Natural History's bird banding station in western Pennsylvania, one of the longest-running in North America. Strong overlap in banding research methodology and Pennsylvania geography.

Broad incumbents

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Premier global bird research and citizen science institution operating eBird, BirdCast, and Birds of the World. EBO integrates its data with Cornell's eBird platform and links users to BirdCast tools.
• National Audubon Society: Largest U.S. bird conservation organization with regional chapters and centers conducting bird research, advocacy, and education. EBO's new ED came from Audubon Florida; partner in shorebird conservation.

Others

• Tamarack Wildlife Center: Northwest Pennsylvania wildlife rehabilitation center that is EBO's primary partner for injured bird referrals and gull chick rescue. Adjacent ecosystem player.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ErieBirdObservatory
• Instagraminstagram.com/bird_erie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erie-bird-observatory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Erie Bird Observatory