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 Letter

Bonus digital content!

King of the urban skies

Paddy power! • Gareth Clements couldn’t believe his eyes when a routine ringing session in Staffordshire produced a spectacular county first.

Possible breeding of Blue-winged Teal in Yorkshire • Richard Hampshire and Lee Johnson discuss the exceptional presence of a pair of Blue-winged Teal at Tophill Low NR during the breeding season.

The returning swift? • For the third summer in a row, Shetland scored a Pacific Swift – but is it the same bird?

Summer surprises • An exciting July produced a range of goodies, with the seabird season getting underway in the South-West and a selection of rare waders discovered.

Plover pandemonium • Dutch birders got a second bite of the cherry with a mega, while a ringing session in Finland produced a national first and second.

Every Birdwatch at your fingertips • BirdGuides’ new Ultimate PLUS membership gives you digital access to 32 years’ worth of Britain’s best birding magazine.

Exit polls • With the recent news that redpolls are to be lumped into a single species, David reflects on these charming birds and the joy the rarer forms bring.

High-carbon Birdfair? • After visiting this year’s Global Birdfair, our columnist asks if the birding festival is going in the right direction – and whether or not there is too much emphasis on global travel.

Small wonder • Little Stint is a classic September species that is eagerly targeted by birders across Britain. Ed Stubbs profiles this tiny calidrid, looking at its life history, movements and conservation status.

Secret Shetland • Chris Turner and Michael McKee’s strategy of focusing on the underwatched islands of Foula and Out Skerries has resulted in them locating an impressive list of rare and scarce birds in the archipelago over the years.

Finding their way: how do birds navigate? • Many species migrate, but how do they go about it? Dr Steven Portugal investigates the different methods by which birds navigate and looks at how scientists have studied these.

Juvenile ringtail harriers • Catching sight of the white rump of a ringtail harrier will always quicken the pulse, but a tough identification challenge often follows. With the peak weeks of autumn ahead, David Cooper provides tips on how to recognise the juvenile plumages of five similar species.

Signs of hope • European Turtle Dove has suffered shocking declines across its breeding range in recent decades, but things are finally looking up, as Operation Turtle Dove’s Rick Bayne explains.

Identification made easy • With the English-language version of the ID Handbook of European Birds now available, we speak to author Nils van Duivendijk about what birders can expect from this exciting new book.

The end of an exotic era • With Golden Pheasant recently relegated to untickable status in Britain, Josh Jones reflects on the demise of this species and its close relative, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, on these shores.

Downsize without compromise • Vortex has added a new, small binocular to its top-performing Razor Ultra HD range. Mike Alibone assesses its potential.

Gardening guru

Summer boots

Some sound advice

Getting to know Hudson

A visual feast

Rediscovering purpose

Scottish moths studied

Become a better birder with Birdwatch

Cropping images

Wryneck

Month of change

All systems go

Colour bearers

Genetic study reveals distinct treecreeper in...