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IN THIS ISSUE As October progresses, huge numbers of migrating birds will be arriving in Britain for the winter. Among these is the nomadic Brambling, a species which shows up here in varying numbers every year. In this month’s Birdwatch, Sarah Harris details the life and times of this beautiful finch. North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory’s relatively short history is nonetheless illustrious, with this northerly outpost having cemented itself as one of the best locations to study migration and find vagrants anywhere in Britain. Warden George Gay introduces the island. In autumn, one of the names that comes to the fore of European birding is Hel, a peninsula jutting out from Poland into the Baltic Sea. Milosz Cousens profiles this famous migration outpost. Robins and chats are among everyone’s favourite birds, and October is the month when European Robin is at its most abundant, as well as a prime time for finding a rarer species. In this month’s ID feature, Andy Stoddart weighs up the options and offers advice on unearthing a mega. Also in this issue, Julian Bhalerao tells the story of his recovery from a life-changing stroke and how birding has played such a crucial role, while Dr Richard Cuthbert of the World Land Trust recounts some of his memorable trips to the cloudforests of Colombia, where the charity’s latest project aims to protect vital habitat that is home to Critically Endangered species. After a two-year hiatus, ‘Political Birder’ Mark Avery is back as a columnist and looks ahead to a UK general election in 2024. Meanwhile, Alan Tilmouth discusses why the Schedule 1 list of breeding species is out of date and Lucy McRobert looks back at a summer of magic pelagics. There’s also a review of the new Kowa TSN-66 Prominar telescope, advice on correctly exposing your images and plenty more besides.