Birdwatch - February 2024

What a year 2023 was for rarities across Britain and Ireland! With a combined nine national firsts, it was a year full of megas – don’t miss Sam Viles’s comprehensive summary in the February issue of Birdwatch, which celebrates this incredible year.

Additionally, we reveal the winners – and the losers – of the ninth annual Birders’ Choice Awards, as well as announce the winner of an exciting prize courtesy of Hawke.

The chances are you will have heard of Grey-bellied Brant. But what exactly is it, where does it come from and what is its status in Europe? Brian McCloskey summarises what is currently known about this mysterious goose.

Birding in Scotland is widely treasured for the country’s special residents and phenomenal track record with extreme rarities. But how popular is Scottish listing, and what benefits and challenges does it bring? Mark Wilkinson explores in more detail.

Scoter are among the most fascinating of all duck, yet getting good views of these sea dwellers can be a challenge, requiring great patience and knowledge of local conditions. In this month’s ID feature, Nick Littlewood shares his expertise of these testing birds.

Also in this issue, Josh Jones reports back from a successful winter trip to India, our columnists ponder bird names and the impact that AI will have on birding, while we also celebrate the return of Common Crane to Britain and Ireland.

Expert advice on February patchbirding features, as does an in-depth review of Nikon’s Z8 mirrorless camera.