Birdwatch - January 2021

■ Going for geese
Winter is the ideal time for geese, with thousands spending the cold months in Britain and Ireland. Searching through flocks of commoner species can sometimes yield rarities, including Lesser White-fronted or Cackling Goose. Dan Brown looks at vagrancy, carrier species and where you might find your own rarity.

■ Taking the crane
Once so common in Britain that 204 were allegedly served at a banquet for the Archbishop of York in 1465, Common Crane was lost as a breeding species around 400 years ago. However, it has since returned, with several small and growing populations and a reintroduction programme in Somerset. David Callahan delves into the history and status of this former – and re-establishing – British species.

■ Snow fall
A much-anticipated element of winter birding, Snow Bunting brightens up any day in the field. The species has an interesting array of plumages, with differences in age, sex and subspecies. Andy Stoddart provides the information you need to recognise all of these.

■ And the winner is …
The voting is over and the counts are in! But who and what were the winners and losers in the 2020 Birders’ Choice Awards? Find out the recipients of Conservation Hero of the Year, Young Conservationist of the year, Book the Year, Rarity of the Year and much more.

Plus: the World Land Trust project to save the Endangered Grey Parrot, birding Spain in a campervan, thought-provoking comment from columnists Dominic Mitchell, Mark Avery and Lucy McRobert, our latest photo challenge, the team at BirdGuides provides round-ups of November’s birding highlights from Britain, Ireland and the wider Western Palearctic, news, views and reviews, and your birding questions answered by our expert panel.