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

Editer’s Note

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The ultimate pelagic • This year’s Challenger Expedition returned with a legendary haul of rare seabird sightings. Scott Reid recalls finding Britain’s first White-faced Storm Petrel in living memory after an exhilarating day on the edge of the continental shelf.

Dursey deliverance • An elusive American warbler gave Paul Rowe and Noel Linehan the runaround until it revealed itself as one of the most highly prized of transatlantic vagrants.

Shock of blue • Patient searching for an elusive visitor to his muck heap paid off with stunning views of Britain’s fifth Siberian Blue Robin for Hugh Harrop, who opened his garden to birders lucky enough to be in Shetland at the time.

Breaking the dam • Easterlies swiftly delivered the goods when they finally blew, but western coasts profited handsomely from the prevailing winds in September, reports Sam Viles, while the sea rewarded dedicated observers.

Nutcrackers surge west as rarities pile up • A major Northern Nutcracker irruption was the defining feature of September, while a run of Nearctic vagrants and striking national rarities added to an exceptional month across the region. Ed Stubbs reports.

Heated debate • Recent discussion about ticking birds seen through a thermal imager got our columnist mulling over the ethics surrounding what to count on our lists.

Joining the panspecies clan • By looking beyond birds to the many other taxonomic groups in his own garden, our columnist has embraced a dual identity: birder and lister of all organisms.

Lost Americans: the ultimate vagrants • The Atlantic Ocean is no place for a songbird – yet every autumn some accidentally cross it. Ross Ahmed explores the weather, ecology and sheer chance behind the arrival of vagrants from the New World.

Risen from the ashes • From industrial ash disposal to one of Scotland’s bestknown birding sites, Musselburgh Lagoons has undergone a remarkable transformation. Paul Jepson explores what makes this Lothian hot-spot so special.

Lapland Bunting • Matt Eade takes a detailed look at a unique ground-dwelling passerine from the far north. Learn how to detect Europe’s only ‘longspur’ and delve into its finer details.

Italy’s rarest island • A chance discovery in 2005 revealed a rarity-finder’s dream in the Mediterranean. Ottavio Janni and Andrea Corso profile Linosa, the Sicilian island that has produced an astounding run of rarities ever since.

Birding for busy lives • Having learned first-hand how to fit birding around a hectic work and family life, Paul Brook shares his tips on how to see more birds when you have less time.

The story of an 80-year-old ring • When a detectorist unearthed an old bird ring in Norfolk, it presented an opportunity to remember a pioneering ornithologist, writes our guest columnist.

Bunting boosted • An unexpected surge in Black-faced Bunting records has delighted European birders, but what has driven the change in rarity status? Luke Nash takes an analytical look at the possibilities.

Eight of Europe’s best birding cities • European city breaks do not have to mean leaving your binoculars at home. Some of the continent’s busiest cities contain surprisingly productive birding and wildlife-watching opportunities, writes Ed Stubbs.

Shifting shape • In a change of shape, Opticron’s Imagic HD X-Wide 8x25 binocular delivers a wide field of view through a small objective. Mike Alibone evaluates the benefits of a ‘retro’ design.

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