Birdwatch

Birdwatch magazine is the UK’s number one bird watching magazine for keen birders, featuring the latest rarity reports, ID guides, optics reviews and birding holidays, plus features and news from across the world.

Birdwatch

Editor’s Note

What’s in the digital edition?

Return of the reedbed raptor

Canvassing all origins • A seething mass of diving duck produced a mega Nearctic find for Howard Vaughan, although debate will continue to rage over whether it is a wild vagrant or a fence-hopping maverick.

Special passenger! • Lauren Peach details the amazing occurrence of an American Kestrel aboard a large cruise ship off the coast of Ireland.

Late season stunner on Scilly • It was a case of saving one of the best until last for autumn 2023, when a Cape May Warbler was found in early November.

Waxwings and Americans arrive • Despite the onset of winter, the sensational autumn for Nearctic species continued well into November, with Scandinavian goodies appearing too. Sam Viles reports.

The underwatched archipelago • Cape Verde made the headlines in November, as several late autumn goodies were discovered across the islands. Sam Viles reports on another action-packed month across the region.

ALAN TILMOUTH Gulls allowed • Winter is the perfect time for our columnist to indulge in one of his favourite birding niches – gulling.

ED STUBBS Bogey birds • We all have them – species that have managed to evade our lists, sometimes despite concerted effort to see them or even involving multiple instances of dipping. Ed Stubbs reflects on some of his avian nemeses.

What’s happened to Little Owl? • Introduced to Britain in the late 19th century, Little Owl became a common and widespread bird in many areas. However, in recent years, the population has plummeted. Species expert Dr Emily Joáchim investigates the decline of this popular owl.

Garden greats: Britain’s best backyard rarities • Over the years, Britain’s gardens have provided some of the biggest surprises as far as rare birds are concerned. David Campbell looks back at some of the backyard rarities that have occurred in the past couple of decades.

Bean geese • Grey geese are a favourite of many birders, with the scarce Tundra and Taiga Bean Geese both highly prized targets during the colder months in Britain. These desirable birds often cause identification headaches, but Dan Owen explains how even subtle individuals can be readily told with practice.

A migratory crossroads • Situated at the mouth of The Wash, Gibraltar Point NNR has a rich history of wildlife recording. It boasts an impressive array of habitats, and consequently breeding, wintering and migrant birds, as Kev Wilson explains.

Progress through failure • While megas were appearing all over Britain and Ireland during September 2023, Dan Brown was fervently scouring bushes in Cornwall. Despite much effort, he came away empty handed, and here he reflects on what the autumn has taught him about finding rarities.

Heronries Census nears its century • What may be the world’s longest continuous annual breeding bird survey can reveal some interesting population trends for Grey Heron over the past 96 years, and recently its scope has increased to cover other species. The BTO’s Ian Woodward explains.

Red hot! • As thermal-imaging devices continue their advance on the birding optics market, Mike Alibone compares and contrasts four key models from the ZEISS DTI range.

Birds and verse

River of plenty

Extraordinary lives

An ode to raptors

Shooting angle

Waxwing

Red Kite

Hedging your bets

New Year, new ambitions

All down to size

Become a scientist

Crossbill calls change with time

Shrikes...