Bird Watching

Bird Watching is Britain’s best-selling birdwatching magazine. Each issue is packed with expert advice on when, where and how to see more birds, from common garden visitors to the most elusive rarities. There are features from some of British birdwatching’s best-known names, superbly illustrated by the work of the world’s best bird photographers, plus comprehensive coverage of all the latest sightings, guides to the best birdwatching sites, ID masterclasses, news and reviews of all the latest gear.

Bird Watching

Welcome

YOUR BIRDING MONTH • APRIL

FIVE BIRDS TO FIND IN APRIL • April is one of the most exciting months of the birding year. It is the time that waders, chats, terns and other summer visitors start to flood through the country. A wonderful time to be out birding, looking for these five special birds, perhaps?

RARITY PREDICTOR

British 'true' tits • We have six species of ‘true’ tit in the UK. Here are their key distinguishing features. How many can you see this April?

Beyond Birdwatching • April offers springtime delights, says James Lowen

Weedon's World • A small group of Waxwings a few miles from Mike’s home had him hooked in the last weeks of winter

Seabird 'cities' open to visitors • Trips to view colonies on the Farne Islands are to restart after a break of two years due to disease

NEWS IN BRIEF

Grumpy Old Birder • Conservation starts at home, and we can all do our bit to help, writes Bo Beolens

Sign up to #My200BirdYear • By now, your list probably includes most of the garden and patch birds that you would expect, a good smattering of winter visitors such as Redwing and Fieldfare, and maybe the odd scarcity. But April is when things really start to move fast. Follow these tips, and you could end the month with your list well above 120, and start to think about targeting your birding for the rest of the year…

Fighting for nature • 30-minute Birder Amanda Tuke visits a nature reserve under threat in south-east London, and investigates controversial plans

Biodiversity Net Gain • Amanda investigates Biodiversity Net Gain requirements in planning and land management…

Full circle • How teamwork and dedication for Ospreys has helped these beautiful raptors return to the south of England for the first time in 200 years

Best Osprey viewing sites across the UK

How to watch Ospreys at Poole Harbour

Fulmars at the end of my street • These elegant flyers get unjustly overlooked, but watching them at close quarters is a delight, writes Sophie Atherton

All aboard for amazing birds • Watching wildlife from a boat gives you a new, and often closer, perspective on everything, writes Ruth Miller

IDChallenge • This month’s challenge is all about the identification of spring waders

Answers & solutions • Check your answers against our explanations. Remember, there are no ‘trick’ birds or extreme rarities among these…

ID Tips & tricks • Here are a few extra tips to help you identify Tringa sandpipers in flight

GO BIRDING • 10 great sites for brilliant birdwatching

ABERDEENSHIRE DUNNOTTAR CASTLE • A dramatic spot for seawatching and breeding seabirds

HIGHLAND GLEN AFFRIC • Quite possibly Scotland’s most beautiful glen

NORTHUMBERLAND BUSTON LINKS • Hedgerows, sand dunes, saltmarsh, beach and estuary!

CUMBRIA KILLINGTON LAKE • Break up your motorway trip with some birding

LEICESTERSHIRE NEW LOUNT NR • A former colliery site in the heart of the National Forest

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE HONEY HILL • Great views with a chance of interesting spring migrants

ESSEX RODING VALLEY MEADOWS • Mixed habitat...