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 • We ask this month's contributors: What is your favourite bird book?

Welcome

YOUR BIRDING MONTH • AUTUMN

FIVE BIRDS TO FIND • Autumn is a nice, woolly term covering a wide span, in bird terms even from July to December. However, perhaps September to late November is more the premise of this issue. Here are five great birds to look for during this period…

Beyond Birdwatching • This autumn look groundwards, in particular, James Lowen suggests…

Weedon’s World • Staring for hours on end at his local patch has led Mike to naming the birds and noting some interesting behaviours

Awe-inspiring autumn • Appreciating the phenomenon, and recording what you see, makes it a thrilling time of year, writes Jon Carter

Head north-west for birding fest

Grumpy Old Birder • Hot summers and droughts are the shape of things to come, writes Bo Beolens…

Sign up to #My200BirdYear • This is the season when wintering birds replace summer visitors, juveniles join their parents, and adult birds moult into dowdier garb – meaning there is no better time to see birds in all their finery and variety, says David Callahan

Is nature writing good for birds? • 30-minute birder Amanda Tuke considers the genre's contribution to birdwatching and wider conservation…

Make the most of migration • Everything’s on the move, so make sure you’re in the right place at the right time, says Matt Merritt

WHERE DID OUR neighbours go? • House Sparrows used to be a constant presence in our lives. Sarah Marles asks, ‘what happened?’

IDChallenge • This month's challenge is all about the identification of British corvids

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 black crows in flight

GO BIRDING • 10 great sites for brilliant birdwatching

QUINISH POINT • Mixed lowland birding on the ‘eagle isle’

COVE BAY • Shoreland, farmland, ancient woodland, and seawatching

COQUET ISLE • There’s much more to it than a rare tern species

ROSS BAY • Mixed habitats around the Solway Firth

MIDDLETON MOOR • A wader oasis in the heart of the Peak District

WOODWALTON FEN • Historic site with a wide range of birds

SUMMER LEYS NR • Find migrants and more in the Nene Valley

GARWAY HILL COMMON • This prominent hill gets upland species and migrants

LILLEY • Search for late autumn migrants on the borderlands

RHODODENDRON WOOD • Tranquil woodland birding with some surprises

YOURVIEW • PHOTOS, LETTERS, TWEETS, QUESTIONS – HAVE YOUR SAY

Your Questions • Send all your birding questions to birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk and our experts will give you the answers

Bird Watching

Sitting down ON THE JOB • Sometimes you have to stay still and let the birds come to you, writes Ruth Miller…

Wryneck • Now lost as a UK breeding bird, this un-woodpecker-like woodpecker is the most curious of characters

Enjoy the magic of Scilly season • 17-23 October, 2026 £1,999, single supplement £100, deposit...