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

WELCOME

What’s in the digital edition?

THE MAY MARSH TERN

Black-browed back at Bempton! • An adult Black-browed Albatross has appeared on the famous seabird cliffs in East Yorkshire for the third year running.

Southern Britain enjoys bumper Garganey influx • Exceptional numbers of the everpopular summer migrant were recorded during the second half of March and beginning of April.

Blue-winged trio • Up to three Blue-winged Teal were discovered in March, marking the best showing of the species at this time of year for 25 years.

Great Shearwater taken into care in Cambridgeshire • The extraordinary inland record came as quite a surprise on April Fool’s Day.

Spring ducks and Saharan dust! • A southerly airflow from North Africa provided a surprise or two among the early spring migrants, writes Sam Viles, while several duck species had an excellent month.

Omid the last • The region’s only Siberian Crane put in another March showing in Azerbaijan, while Egypt scored big and Spain enjoyed an early spring fiesta. Sam Viles reports.

Be in the know this spring

Loosening up birding • Negativity and dissatisfaction appears to be rife in British birding, says David Campbell, who thinks it’s time to embrace the everyday.

Azorean obsession • The Azores has become famous for its rarities in autumn, yet has potential for more discovery, says long-time devotee Dominic Mitchell.

Blasts from the past • Dominic Mitchell concludes his two-part look at Britain’s ‘lost’ rarities with a round-up of the passerine vagrants that light up the archives but have failed to make a reappearance in recent decades.

The ultimate pelagic • Sam Jones was fortunate enough to board a special seabird cruise in the Southern Ocean – Flock to Marion – and he enjoyed the trip of a lifetime in the process.

Field ID notes Spring calidrids • May is prime time to connect with an array of northbound waders heading for their Arctic nesting grounds, almost all of which will be in resplendent breeding plumage. Among these are the Calidris sandpipers, which can present a range of visual challenges – particularly when observed out of context at unlikely sites, which is sometimes the case in the peak weeks of spring. Josh Jones looks at the key species and associated identification pitfalls.

More than storks • The Knepp Estate in West Sussex is well known for its White Stork reintroduction programme. However, the rewilded site is much more than that – it’s one of the most rapidly improving biodiversity hot-spots in Britain and many declining bird species are thriving there, as Matt Phelps writes.

Nest checkers • Spring is a wonderful season for birding, with summer migrants arriving and others moving through on passage. But it’s also a key time for a less visible yet integral element of birds’ annual life cycles – nesting. Lee Barber and Mike Toms of the BTO explain how to hone your nest-finding skills and contribute valuable data to science.

Best of both worlds • Hot on the heels of last year’s new M7 binocular launch, Nikon has added a further model to its Monarch range. But will it reign supreme? Mike Alibonerecently tried it out.

Library of sound

Northern Wheatear

March photo challenge winner

Tribute to Japan

Understanding avian aroma

Know your seaside flora

WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS

EXPERT ADVICE

Beyond measure

Defence mechanisms

Crest calls

Corn Bunting

Going for a song

New storm petrel species...