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

What’s in the digital edition?

POST-STORM SPINNER

Steppe in the right direction • Persistent patch work by Mark Coller resulted in a sensational late August find.

Out for a duck • The first mega alert of the autumn sounded on Unst, where that man David Cooper added another monster find to his collection.

Looking sharp • Co Cork was in the headlines during mid-August as an East Siberian shorebird appeared at one of its coastal hot-spots.

Shear surprise • A pelagic trip out of Co Cork delivered a stunning Irish first for Paul Connaughton.

The heat is on • A hot August produced some spectacular rarities across Britain and Ireland. Sam Viles discusses the highlights of an exciting month.

In the thick of it • Megas from all points of the compass were found during August, says Sam Viles.

FREE 30-DAY TRIAL TO THE UK’S NO.1. BIRD SIGHTING SERVICE • Join thousands across Britain and Ireland who trust BirdGuides as their chosen service, delivering efficient and reliable bird sighting news 7 days a week. Never miss a mega again!

On the right tracks • A recent two-week rail journey around Europe allowed our new columnist to hone his ‘from the train’ ID skills.

Not-so-wild goose chase • How the fantasy of a date with a girlfriend at Sir Peter Scott’s astonishing reserve by the Severn turned into a memorable day out with Dad.

The wonderful world of vis-mig • Watching visible migration is one of the spectacles of autumn birding. Experienced ‘vis-migger’ Andrew Hanby introduces the concept, detailing suitable places, weather conditions and the expected species.

TEN MEMORABLE VIS-MIG WATCHES

Sign to save our woodcock • Eurasian Woodcock is a bird that has been in decline in recent decades. Chris Packham explains how Wild Justice’s proposal for a reduction in the length of the shooting season could help this beautiful but stricken species.

Field ID notes: Autumn wheatears • With various rarities possible, finding a migrant wheatear in autumn has the potential to set pulses racing. Brian Small offers advice on separating the ubiquitous Northern Wheatear from three rare vagrants from the south and east.

The wild west • American landbirds are widely considered to be few and far between in Europe. But are they really as rare as we think? Josh Jonessuggests that the largely unexplored west coasts of Britain and Ireland have so much more to give.

The summer of seabird suffering • The impacts of avian influenza have made for grim following in 2022. David Campbell looks back at a tough period for conservationists and ponders what the future might hold for this highly pathogenic virus.

Four birds, four reasons to act • So much lies at stake in the lush, life-packed Ecuadorian valleys of Río Anzu and Río Zúñac. With help from the new World Land Trust (WLT) ‘Life on the Edge’ appeal, Fundación EcoMinga conservationists are acting to expand reserves so that precious forests to the east of the Andes can be saved from destruction. This is the story of a landscape of two rivers, its stunning birdlife – and how Birdwatch readers could play a crucial part in its protection.

EAGLES ON THE EDGE • There are fewer than 1,000 Black-and-chestnut Eagles left in the world. In Ecuador, there are just 200.

EXPERT REVIEWS • Your trusted guide to what’s new in birding: www.birdguides.com/reviews

Plenty of scope • With the launch next month of its new ATC spotting scope, Swarovski Optik effectively demonstrates it is now possible to...