Merry Christmas from Birdwatch and BirdGuides!

Another year flies by at BirdGuides and Birdwatch HQ ...

The festive season is once again upon us and, as ever at this wonderful time of year, we'd like to wish all our subscribers, contributors and readers all the very best for the festive season. Be it sightings, articles, photos, comments or anything else, your contributions this year have once again proved unparalleled – BirdGuides.com would not be the hub of birding that it is without you, so thank you!

It’s been another mixed year for rarities in Britain and Ireland. There were plenty of showstoppers – who will forget the Shetland Tengmalm's Owl, Cornwall and Kent Brown Boobies and Northern Irish Common Nighthawk? On top of this, a selection of less rare but very popular birds graced our shores including the Slimbridge Little Bustard and widely-touring Baikal Teal. That said, many listers probably felt that ther autumn lacked that proper, five-star giga rare.

Rarity of the year? The Shetland Tengmalm's Owl was enjoyed by many between February and April (George Gay).

It goes without saying that 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 8 am to 11 pm each day. If you're out in the field and have some significant bird news, please do let us know either by calling us on 0333 577 2473, emailing sightings@birdguides.com or by using our online submission form. Alternatively, tag @BirdGuides on Twitter or text 'BIRDS RPT' followed by your message to 07786 200 505.

As always, our website will continue to be updated with top-quality birding content on a daily basis over the festive period – be sure to visit BirdGuides.com and scroll down to the News, Articles and Reviews sections to catch up with new posts, or follow our social media channels for newly released content.

The BirdGuides and Birdwatch office in London will be closed from 17:00 on Friday 20 December until 09:00 on Thursday 2 January. However, the sales team (01778 392027) will remain open for subscription renewals (with the exception of Sundays plus Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day) and you can still renew online. We will also be answering emails intermittently over the Christmas period, but do ask for your patience at this time.