DECEMBER 2025

The year was rounded off nicely with one or two exceptional rarities, rudely inconveniencing many birders enjoying the festive season…

Red kites, great spotted woodpeckers and pink-footed geese are only a few of the birds doing brilliantly in the British Isles right now. Mark Cocker celebrates their success stories and looks at what might be learnt from them

Birdwatching locations are ever-changing. Habitats develop and evolve, even on carefully managed reserves. Some sites gain sudden prominence (due to a rare visitor or breeding record); some drop off the radar. Others remain popular with birdwatchers and birds, often because of their geographic location. So, after trawling through a LOT of back issues of BW , here are 100 locations we think have changed the face of UK birdwatching in the past 40 years. If you’ve a site you’d like to add to the list, please email: birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk and tell us why

Britain’s seabird colonies are among the most spectacular in the world and you can experience them from the sea or land. Read on to find out where you can enjoy these incredible wildlife encounters

Mike’s local area has become a difficult place to watch gulls, but it makes up for their lack in other ways