Happy Christmas from Birdwatch and BirdGuides!

The holiday season has come around once again and we'd like to wish all our subscribers, contributors and readers all the very best for Christmas and the New Year.

The team at BirdGuides and Birdwatch would like to extend our thanks to all of you for your support throughout 2023. Your contributions, be it via sightings, articles, photos or comments, are as valued as ever and help to make the website the fantastic resource it has become over the years.

For some, the winter so far has been dominated by the Waxwing invasion – although those of you down south may be feeling a bit left out at present! The weather hasn't felt particularly festive of late, but there are still plenty of winter bits to see in Britain at the moment, so if you're birding over the holiday period, do enjoy.

Will Waxwings appear near you this festive season? (Dean Eades).

On that note, whatever you're up to over the coming week, we hope you have a restful time and are looking forward to the start of a new year list on 1 January. As always, our bird news service will continue to run non-stop throughout the festive fortnight, bringing you the latest bird news from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic from 7.30 am to 10.30 pm each day. If you're out in the field and have some notable bird news, please do let us know either by calling us on 0333 577 2473, emailing sightings@birdguides.com or by using our app or web submission forms.

Furthermore, the website will continue to be updated with plenty of birding content over the festive period – be sure to visit BirdGuides.com and scroll down to the News, Articles and Reviews sections to catch up with the latest additions.

The BirdGuides and Birdwatch office will be closed from 5 pm on Friday 22 December until 9 am on Tuesday 2 January. We will also be answering emails intermittently over the Christmas period, but do ask for your patience at this time. However, the sales team (01778 392027) will remain open for subscription renewals (with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day) and you can still renew your subscriptions online

Merry Christmas and happy birding from the whole team!