Birdwatch July issue - on sale now

Learn to separate all three golden plover species and read about the spread of Mediterranean Gull in the new issue of Birdwatch!

With adults already leaving their breeding sites and juveniles on the way soon, it is a good idea to be aware of all the stages of golden plover plumages and moult — you might even find one of the rarer forms in the flocks of European birds as they disperse south! Andy Stoddart shows you the key ID features.

Mediterranean Gull is now expected in southern Britain, year-round, but a half-century ago it was very much a rarity. David Callahan helps you discover how this pleasing larid lives and reveals the history of its rapid spread across Europe and into Britain, as a member of our breeding avifauna.

Very few birders are aware of the rich birdlife of Herzegovina, so Neil Bowman travelled to the mostly untouched country to see it for himself at the peak of migration. Imagine unspoilt habitats producing such exciting birds as Golden Eagle, Rock Partridge, Alpine Chough, Sombre Tit and Rock Bunting, not to mention Pygmy Cormorant, Black Woodpecker and Moustached Warbler.

Plus submit wildlife artwork for the Birdwatch Artist of the Year Awards, enter Swarovski Optik's Digiscoper of the Year competition, read summer where to watch itineraries for Suffolk, Cornwall, Anglesey, Nottinghamshire and Northumberland, all the big stories and latest sightings from BirdGuides.com, columnists Mark Avery and Bill Oddie, Steve Young's Photo Challenge, news from Britain and across the Western Palearctic, expert advice and product reviews, and your questions answered by the expert Birdwatch team.

The July issue of Birdwatch is on sale now, or you can order it post-free (UK only) here.

Birdwatch is Britain's number one magazine for keen birders and presents in-depth articles to help you improve your birding skills, along with all the latest innovations, reviews, news and birding tips. Find out more at www.birdwatch.co.uk.