Bird Watching (UK)

Welcome

I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing Christmas holiday, and managed to get out and about for some birding, despite the very cold weather. My own New Year’s Day list included a Slavonian Grebe and a Yellow-browed Warbler – both nice surprises in my part of...

Welcome

O ne of the things that comes through strongly in David Callahan’s account of his successful completion of our #My200BirdYear challenge in 2025 (see page 32) is how much of birdwatching can be about happy accidents. You go out looking for a Brambling...

Welcome

O f the many changes that we’ve seen in birdwatching in recent decades, an increase in representation might just be the most important, in the long term. Groups like Birds & the Belles (pictured above), who we meet on page 32, are helping to make sure...

Welcome

I n this issue, Paul Brook writes about the way that significant bird sightings sometimes attach themselves to much wider memories, so that reliving them triggers off a Proustian chain reaction. I know exactly what he means. At family gatherings and...

Welcome

The past few weeks have brought the usual flurry of autumn scarcities and rarities among the flood of migrant birds passing through and around these isles, and our cover bird the Grey Phalarope has been well represented among them. Mike Weedon, Marc...

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

Welcome

Our cover story this issue is all about finding great birds in the most unpromising of locations, but more generally, it’s a reminder that once you’ve caught the birding bug, it’s hard not to look for birds wherever you are. 30 Minute Birder Amanda...

Welcome

S ummer is well and truly here, meaning that, for many of us, there’s more chance to get out and watch birds. Like three of our contributors (left), I’ve been enjoying watching Swifts screaming over the rooftops, with young birds already starting to...

Welcome

This sound of this issue’s cover bird, the Turtle Dove, was once an integral part of the soundtrack of the British summer, but in recent decades a catastrophic decline has meant that, for many of us, it’s a thing of the past. While habitat loss and...

Welcome

This issue’s cover bird, the Puffin, is one of those species that everybody wants to see, and everybody loves. Now don’t let me discourage you from lavishing your affection on them, because they are extraordinary creatures in every respect, but this is...

MAKE MAY THE MONTH YOUR LIST TAKES OFF!

Welcome

S pring is always an exciting time to be out birding, not least because all sorts of migrants will be flooding through, and turning up in unexpected locations. Our cover bird, the Redstart, is one of those species – every April I spend a lot of time...

YEAR LISTING FOR BEGINNERS

MM3 80 Fieldscope

Super-compact 80mm measuring <30cm. Fully armoured, nitrogen waterproof and dual focusing. Compatible with MM3, HR, HDF & SDL eyepieces. MM3 80 GA ED & ED/45 £479 HR3 20-60x £169 I MM3 20-60x £109

Welcome

Welcome to another year of birding with Bird Watching magazine, although you may be reading this in late December, in which case Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We had significant snowfalls early this winter, which set us thinking about why so...

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES

Discover the new guide that promises to ease ID headaches

Optics Events

The best place to test and compare a wider range of our equipment under field conditions. Some events are attended by Opticron staff who are there to offer expert advice on the range and help you make the best choice based on budget and application....

EXPLORING ESSEX

Is this Britain’s best-kept birding secret? EXPLORING ESSEX

A BIRD IN THE HAND

30 Minute Birder finds out why ringing is vital to conservation

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Why Gaelic might help you see familiar species in a whole new light

FIND YOUR OWN STYLE

How learning, then breaking, the rules makes for better photos

Marvellous Marsh Harriers!