Features
- Vinicombe, K E. Cirl Bunting [How to distinguish this scarce British breeder from Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella]
- Vinicombe, K E. Redhead [A close look at the identification pitfalls of this vagrant Aythya duck]
- Alibone, M. The third way [Winter in Israel can be every bit as exciting as in spring or autumn]
- Marven, N. On location: Ticking tapaculos [One man’s quest to track down this Neotropical family]
- Young, S. Teasing out a Goldfinch [A perfect technique for getting this finch to pose for your camera]
Better Birding
- Find your own ... Goshawk
- How to ... Pish and squeak
- On the move – Blasts from the past
- Building skills – Shape up your flocks
- Tip from the top – Paul French
- Must see – Cetti’s Warbler
- BTO/CJ Garden Birdwatch – Take two thrushes
- Equipment – Getting it in the neck
- What's on - March events
- Optical events - March guide
- Birding courses and workshops
- March high-tide tables for Britain and Ireland
Where to watch birds
- Charles, D. Killibegs, Co Donegal
- Glenn, N. Trent Valley, Nottinghamshire
- Taylor, M. Rye Harbour, East Sussex
- Winter, S. Bedfordshire
News and related items
News digest – Farmland birds threatened; Malta taken to court; breeding helped by feeding; more Black Grouse in Scotland.
Fraser, M. ListCheck - updating the world view of birds. [Split: Forest Buzzard Buteo trizonatus. Regional and national lists: North America, Bolivia and Uganda]
Tools of the trade
- Product review: Leica Ultravid 8x32 HD binocular.
- Brochure watch: Sunbird 2008
- Birdwatch reader holiday report: Autumn bonanza [Sweden in September 2007 at Oland and Falsterbo with thousands of migrants]
- Book reviews and previews: Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 12, edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott and David Christie (Lynx Edicions); Antarctica: Exploring a Fragile Eden by Jonathan and Angela Scott (Collins); A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife by Hadoram Shirihai (A&C Black); Where to Watch Mammals in Britain and Ireland by Richard Moores (Christopher Helm); The Garden Bird Year by Roy Beddard (New Holland); and Book shelf – a brief look at some latest releases.
Accounts of recent rarities in Britain and Ireland
Harbard, C. Pembrokeshire’s Pacific returns [Pacific Diver Gavia pacifica, Llys-y-fran Reservoir, Pembrokeshire, from 16 January 2008]
Harbard, C. To tick a tichodrome [Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria, Boulogne, France, from 20 January 2008]
Harbard, C. Sparrow’s golden egg for Cley [White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys, Cley, Norfolk from 3 January 2008]
Monthly highlights summary: January 2008
Recent reports
Monthly round-ups from eight regions in Britain, and from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, January 2008, including photos of Iceland Gulls Larus glaucoides, Hume’s Warblers Phylloscopus humei, Lapland Bunting Calcarius lapponicus, Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius, Ross’s Goose Anser rossii, Black Brant Branta (bernicla) nigricans, Common Crane Grus grus, Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes, Smew Mergellus albellus, Glaucous Gulls Larus hyperboreus, Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes Podiceps auritus and P nigricollis, Pacific Diver Gavia pacifica and American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus.
Highlights summary for the Western Palearctic in January 2008, including photos of Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus in Spain, Pine and Rustic Buntings Emberiza leucocephalos and E rustica in Turkey, Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis and Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata in the Azores, and Brown Booby Sula leucogaster and Sooty and White-eyed Gulls Larus hemprichii and L leucophthalmus in Egypt.
Exclusive reader offer
Petrels Night & Day: A Sound Approach Guide by Magnus Robb, Killian Mullarney & The Sound Approach. Order a copy at the special price of £27.95 by the end of this month
