Last Updated: May 23, 2026 · Effective Date: May 23, 2026
BirdingPal ("BirdingPal," "we," "us," or "our") is operated by Contact Pals Incorporated and is accessible at www.birdingpal.com. We provide a platform that connects birdwatching enthusiasts worldwide. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our website and services (collectively, the "Service").
By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Service.
We collect information you voluntarily provide to us, including but not limited to:
We use the information we collect solely for the following purposes:
We will not use your personal information for any purpose not described in this Privacy Policy without first obtaining your explicit consent.
Opt-In Consent. When you provide your mobile phone number and check the box "Yes, I want to receive text messages from BirdingPal," you expressly consent to receive informational text messages from BirdingPal regarding your account activity, such as meeting requests and security alerts.
Important disclosures regarding our SMS program:
To get help, text HELP to the number provided in your message.
To opt out at any time, text STOP. You will receive one final confirmation message and no further messages will be sent.
For additional support, contact us directly at birdingpal@contactpals.org.
We will not sell, trade, rent, license, or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party for marketing, advertising, or commercial purposes. Specifically:
We may disclose information to third-party service providers (see Section 10) solely to the extent necessary to operate the Service on our behalf, and only where those providers are bound by appropriate confidentiality obligations.
We use cookies strictly for the purpose of managing your login session. We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or any cookies that monitor your behavior across third-party websites. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, but doing so may impair your ability to log in to the Service.
We implement commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include password hashing, encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS), and access controls limiting which personnel can access member data.
While we make every effort to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is one hundred percent secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information and shall not be held responsible for breaches that are beyond our reasonable control.
Please be advised that messages sent between members through our messaging system are not end-to-end encrypted. Do not transmit sensitive, confidential, or financial information through our messaging system.
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you the Service. If you request deletion of your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within a reasonable timeframe, except where we are required to retain certain information to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.
You have the right to:
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at birdingpal@contactpals.org.
We use the following third-party service providers to operate the Service. Each is bound by its own privacy policy and applicable data protection laws:
We are committed to protecting your privacy. However, we may disclose your personal information to law enforcement agencies, regulatory authorities, or other governmental bodies if required to do so by applicable law, court order, or subpoena, or if we reasonably believe such disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of BirdingPal, our members, or the public.
In the event a BirdingPal member is in a verified emergency situation, we may contact local authorities on their behalf when we have reasonable grounds to believe that doing so is necessary to protect life or safety.
The Service is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18 without verifiable parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("Member," "you," or "your") and Contact Pals Incorporated, operator of BirdingPal ("BirdingPal," "we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using the Service, you affirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.
If you do not agree to these Terms in their entirety, you are not authorized to access or use the Service.
BirdingPal is an online platform that connects birdwatching enthusiasts around the world. The Service allows members to discover other birdwatchers by location and birding region, send and receive messages through an anonymized email forwarding system, and arrange in-person birding meetings. We provide the platform to facilitate these connections; we are not a party to any arrangement, meeting, or transaction between members.
You must be at least 18 years of age to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you are 18 years of age or older, that you have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement, and that your use of the Service does not violate any applicable law or regulation.
To access certain features of the Service, you must create an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process and to update such information as necessary to keep it accurate and complete. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account passphrase and for all activity that occurs under your account. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.
Access to the full member features of the Service requires an active subscription. The subscription fee is $10.00 USD per year. Payment is processed securely through PayPal or Stripe. Upon successful payment, you will receive a passphrase granting you access to the member contact system.
Subscriptions may renew automatically on an annual basis unless you cancel prior to the renewal date. You authorize us to charge your selected payment method for each renewal period. We reserve the right to change subscription fees upon reasonable notice.
We stand behind the quality of our Service. If you are unsatisfied for any reason, you may request a full refund of your most recent annual subscription payment at any time. We offer this no-questions-asked refund guarantee without requiring an explanation. Refund requests should be submitted to birdingpal@contactpals.org. Refunds will be issued to the original payment method within a reasonable timeframe.
Members have the option to appear publicly on the BirdingPal platform so that other members may contact them. Appearing publicly is an opt-in feature. You may enable or disable your public listing at any time through your account settings. By opting in to a public listing, you consent to the display of your selected profile information (such as your nickname, birding regions, and any optional biography or photos you provide) to other registered members.
You agree to use the Service in a lawful, respectful, and responsible manner. You agree that you will not:
We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to terminate or suspend the account of any member who violates these conduct standards, without prior notice and without refund.
By providing your mobile phone number and opting in to SMS notifications, you consent to receive informational text messages from BirdingPal. This consent is not a condition of purchase or of using the Service. You may opt out at any time by texting STOP to the number from which you received the message. Message and data rates may apply. For full details, see Section 4 (SMS Notifications) of our Privacy Policy.
Our messaging system routes communications between members via email forwarding while protecting the privacy of both parties' email addresses. Please be aware of the following important limitations:
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, BirdingPal, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, or exemplary damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, goodwill, data, or other intangible losses, arising out of or in connection with your use of or inability to use the Service, regardless of whether such damages were foreseeable and whether BirdingPal was advised of the possibility of such damages.
BirdingPal provides a platform to facilitate connections between members. We do not screen, vet, or verify members beyond the account registration process. We are not responsible for the actions, conduct, or omissions of any member in connection with meetings or interactions arranged through the Service. All in-person meetings are undertaken at your own risk. We strongly encourage members to exercise personal safety precautions when meeting new people.
Our total aggregate liability to you for any claims arising under these Terms or in connection with the Service shall not exceed the total subscription fees you have paid to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless BirdingPal and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any applicable law or the rights of any third party; or (d) any content you submit to or transmit through the Service.
You may cancel your subscription and request account deletion at any time by contacting us at birdingpal@contactpals.org. Upon cancellation, your access to member features will continue until the end of your current subscription period.
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service, with or without notice, at our sole discretion, for any conduct that we believe violates these Terms, is harmful to other members, third parties, or the Service, or for any other reason we deem appropriate. Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease.
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which Contact Pals Incorporated is registered, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or the Service that cannot be resolved informally shall be submitted to binding arbitration or the courts of competent jurisdiction in that jurisdiction, as applicable.
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document. If we make material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you (such as by posting a notice on the Service or sending you an email). Your continued use of the Service following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Service.