Birdwatch Magazine

Birdwatch and BirdGuides readers turned out in their thousands to vote in the 20th annual Photo of the Year – we share the winner and runners up.

County listing is part obsession, part endurance test. Devon birding legend Mark Bailey explains the rewards and frustrations of chasing a list through the decades.

Subtle tones, tricky calls and overlapping ranges – treecreepers provide a real ID conundrum. David Campbell discusses separating Short-toed and Northern Treecreepers from the British subspecies of Eurasian.
You don’t need four wheels to see great birds. Rebecca Gibson, Dan Rouse, Heather Devey and Megan Shersby, the authors of Where to Watch Wildlife in Britain by Low-carbon Transport, showcases some the best sites that can be accessed by public transport.

The Patchwork Challenge proves that you don’t need to travel far from home to find great birds, but patience and persistence help. Jacob Spinks summarises some of 2025’s highlights from birders across Britain and Ireland.

Once a widespread and familiar farmland bird, Tree Sparrow has suffered one of the steepest declines of any UK passerine. Species expert Matt Prior takes a close look at what went wrong and whether a recovery is still possible.

Also in this issue, Mike Alibone takes a detailed look at how one of the RSPB’s top binoculars perform and we hear the accounts of January’s biggest finds. There’s also advice on bird photography, tips on understand moult and drawing birds, while our columnists discuss the end of notebooks, the Dutch Spectacled Eider and cats.