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

Samoa’s little dodo

Tail of the taiga • A dark Merlin set alarm bells ringing for Skokholm warden Richard Brown. Careful scrutiny pointed to a subspecies only recorded in Britain once before.

Parula brings Fair Isle to 399 • Tom Wright’s routine Fair Isle census delivered a spectacular first for Shetland from across the Atlantic.

A trumpet worth blowing • An optimistic visit to a Co Wexford rarity hot-spot resulted in a crowd-pleasing Irish first for Jim Dowdall.

Spring in technicolour • May saw the weather lurch from grey and dreary to bright and disconcertingly warm. Periods of high pressure, bringing winds from the south and east, ensured plenty of dazzling drift migrants and overshoots, reports Sam Viles.

Raptors rule blockbuster May • A remarkable month for birds of prey, Nearctic vagrants and potential taxonomic changes saw birders across the region treated to an impressive array of highlights. Ed Stubbs reports.

Garden party • A recent three-figure count of Garden Warbler on our columnist’s patch gave cause for celebration of this often underappreciated summer visitor.

Reversing a bold disaster • Given the devastation caused to wildlife and people, our columnist says now is the time to bring water companies back into public ownership.

All’s fair in conservation • An annual birding pilgrimage like no other fuels critical conservation efforts across the planet. BirdLife International’s John Fuller explains the key role of Global Birdfair in the mission to save species across the world.

Ain’t no mountain high enough • With climate change knocking at the door, the RSPB’s Dr Leah Kelly examines the future prospects for Eurasian Dotterel in the UK.

Amur Falcon • Migrating between East Asia and Southern Africa each year, Amur Falcon is an impressive traveller and a highly prized vagrant, but it could easily be overlooked. Andy Stoddart outlines its epic journey and the key features to nail an identification.

Listing on the Viking frontierI • With a Shetland list that started in World War II, Dennis Coutts is a stalwart of the Northern Isles. He shares his extraordinary memories from more than 80 years of birding in the archipelago.

Finding the good life • Peter Alfrey had a productive local patch in south London, but he dreamed of better birding and a low-impact life on the coast. Having made the move with his family, he realised new bird-finding tactics were in order. Meanwhile, he worked towards a nature-positive existence.

Manx magic • The Calf of Man plays a leading role in ornithology, with its innovative approaches to migration monitoring and seabird conservation producing incredible results. Warden Eleanor Grover profiles the Isle of Man’s only bird observatory.

Panning for gold • After several years birding his wider area, Ed Stubbs returned to single-site patch coverage in his home county of Surrey last year, noticing the subtle differences between local birding and patch-watching along the way.

Downsize in style • Small is beautiful, or so it’s said, but how does that translate to the world of premium binoculars? Mike Alibone assesses the performance of the potentially top model of the new Leica Noctivid Compact duo.

Export Advice • The best tips, advice and more www.birdguides.com

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In the next issue August

High-octane birding in the Low Countries • Our columnist rose to the challenge of a 24-hour bird race, finishing the day with brilliant sightings, some embarrassing...