February's Birdwatch – out now!

The February 2021 issue of Birdwatch goes on sale today [Thursday 28 January].

In this edition, Ed Stubbs tells the tale of his 'local big year' – a dedicated effort to seeing as many species in his corner of south-west Surrey in 2020. And, as it happened, it proved to be a resounding success ...

While many of us kept things local in 2020, Sam Jones didn't bank on getting locked down in Colombia last March! Here he recounts the remarkable story of his last-minute change of plan, which saw him spend two months on a ranch in the Central Andes, enjoying all the nearby forested valleys had to offer alongside daily farm work.

Despite restrictions in place for significant parts of the year, 2020 nonetheless proved one of the greatest years on record for rare birds across Britain and Ireland. Sam Viles summarises the year's highs and lows in our new-look Year in Review.

Meanwhile, Josh Jones takes a look at two species of gull which, he feels, have a very realistic chance occurring in Britain in the near future. Could Cape or Grey-headed Gull be the next addition to your British list? Find out more inside.

This month's ID guide is dedicated to redpolls. Andy Stoddart is on hand to guide you through separating the familiar Lesser from the desirable Mealy and Coues's Arctic Redpolls in their bewildering array of plumages, so that finding each of the rarer cousins becomes an all the more achievable task.

In addition to this, we take an exclusive first look at the new Swarovski Optik 115 mm ATX/STX/BTW objective telescope, as well as report on all of December's rarity news from across Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. Columnists Mark Avery, Dominic Mitchell and Charlie Moores air their thoughts, while there's further news, reviews and expert advice from the team.

You can buy the issue online with free UK p&p, or take out an annual subscription. Subscribers to BirdGuides Ultimate receive annual subscription to the magazine as part of their deal.

In the digital edition

This month's digital edition includes lots of bonus content, including video footage of rarities in Britain and Ireland, as well as sound files and much more.

The digital edition is available for PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad and Android. Sample issues are free, and subscriptions or single copies can be purchased. Click here to find out more.