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.

Welcome

BIRDING QUESTION • We ask this month’s contributors: What’s the best bird you’ve seen in a lunch hour?

…and the Bird Watching team’s answers

YOUR BIRDING MONTH MAY

FIVE TO FIND IN MAY • May is rightly the most renowned of all birding months. Only October comes close, and that month lacks the glorious expectation of spring that May delivers. Here are some birds which would look good in any month, but especially good in May.

RARITY PREDICTOR • Our monthly outlandish guesses at which extreme rarities may turn up a this time of year. Please don’t sue us if none of the predictions come true!

Reedbed specialists • Reedbeds are great places to live if you want to be concealed from the public gaze but with plentiful access to insects, fish and amphibians etc from behind the ‘curtain’. So, we have a range of bird species which specialise in hanging out (and breeding) in our extensive reedbeds. Here are six for starters.

UK TIDES MAY • The times below are for high tide, when waders and wildfowl will be pushed closer to dry land...

Beyond Birdwatching • Spring is in full flow, says James Lowen, with natural riches every way you turn

Weedon’s World • This year, Mike has rediscovered the pleasure and delights of feeding the birds in his garden

Willow Tits favour coalfields • Research suggests declining birds are thriving in northern England’s former mining areas

GRUMPY OLD BIRDER • This month, Bo calls on commerce to do more to help protect the environment…

NEWS IN BRIEF

Short bursts of birding • Busy lifestyles or family demands on a holiday mean it’s not always possible to afford your birdwatching passion the few hours a day you’d love to give it. But even just half an hour a day of birdwatching can reap many avian rewards…

garden BIRDING • The last year has shown all of us, if we didn’t already know, exactly how valuable our gardens are as a haven for birds and other wildlife, and for us as a source of mental and physical replenishment in stressful times

Sign up for our My200BirdYear Challenge… • Spring is already flying by, so it’s too late to sign up to our #My200BirdYear challenge with a realistic chance of completing it, right? Wrong!

Woodland wonders • Spring is the perfect time of the year to go in search of songsters of the Celtic rainforest, as Steve Wiltshire explains…

Women’s safety and birdwatching • With an outpouring of concern about violence against women, here are a few examples of how all birders can ensure the hobby is enjoyed by all…

The wonder of Ravens • It wasn’t your typical February Sunday lunchtime, watching Ravens build a nest from your kitchen window

ID Challenge • This month’s challenge is all about spring terns. How many can you identify?

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

ID Tips & tricks • Here are a few extra tips to help you to identify spring terns

GO BIRDING • 10 GREAT SITES FOR BRILLIANT BIRDWATCHING

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