Norfolk rarities committee member Graham Etherington reviews Birds of Central Asia. It is the first field guide to include the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, along with neighbouring Afghanistan. Read the review here

The first weekly round-up of 2013 is a double edition covering the last two weeks of 2012 plus New Years Day. It was somewhat quiet in terms of new birds but perhaps unsurprising given the atrocious weather across large parts of the UK during the fortnight. Read the round-up here

Mid December threw up a couple of excellent, if somewhat unseasonal, birds in the shape of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak on Scilly and a very showy Buff-bellied Pipit in Berkshire! Whilst in Suffolk the Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll continued it's stay at Aldeburgh. Read the round-up here

As part of bringing RBA users special discounts on bird and natural history books we have three fantastic offers from WildSounds.com. Get great savings on the Birds of Central Asia, Large Format Collins Bird Guide and also Tracks & Signs of the Birds of Britain & Europe. Full Details Here

An extremely showy Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll at Aldeburgh in Suffolk drew the crowds over the weekend and will undoubtedly be highlight of the week for many. Elsewhere the adult Pacific Diver returned to West Cornwall for another winter and on the Western Isles a very smart Gyr was present. Read the round-up here

The battle to save England's most threatened nesting bird of prey from illegal persecution is going increasingly high-tech as a technique used for the first time in the UK confirms that a female Hen Harrier which was found dead in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, had been shot. Read the article here

Following a programme to eradicate feral cats from the Island, Ascension Frigatebirds have been found nesting on Ascension Island once again, after 180 year absence. Read the article here

The latest wild bird indicators, just published, show farmland birds are still declining, some woodland birds are declining whilst others increase, breeding water and wetland birds remain stable, whilst seabirds and wintering water birds remain well above 1970s levels, despite some recent declines. Read the article here

A veritable mixed bag with some 'interesting' new arrivals worthy of discussion plus Ireland gets it's third American Coot in County Galway and Shetland gets a late Black-throated Thrush. Read the round-up here

Illegal shooting, trapping, nest destruction and poisoning continue to pose a significant threat to Scotland's birds of prey, according to the latest annual report by RSPB Scotland, covering 2011. Read the article here

Latest figures from the BTO show that the 2012 breeding season was the worst on record for many species after a year of unpredictable weather. Read the article here

A double-header on South Uist in the shape of an American Coot and a Pied-billed Grebe were the undoubted highlights of the week. Cambridgeshire hosted it's first Blyth's Reed Warbler, whilst in Rhyl the Desert Wheatear continued to show very well. Read the round-up here

Two birds, both of which showed only very briefly at opposite ends of Britain, were the week's highlights. An Asian Desert Warbler was found in Kent whilst on South Uist a white Gyrfalcon was found and although only stopping briefly both were photographed. The other main highlight was the continued presence of a number of Hornemann's Arctic Redpolls on Shetland. Read the round-up here

As the latest State of the Nation's Bird Report is published shocking declines and losses are reported with some 44 million birds being lost since 1966. Read the article here

Today [Friday 16 November, 2012], after a long fight, the European Commission has finally launched an EU Plan of Action (1) to reduce seabird bycatch: the incidental deaths of seabirds ensnared in fishing gears. Read the article here

Things finally started to quieten down a little this week, that is if you count a Cedar Waxwing and Blackpoll Warbler in the same County Mayo garden as quietening down! Long staying rarities included the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler in Fife and Bee-eater in Co.Durham and the great Waxwing invasion continued at pace. Read the round-up here

Shocking evidence has been gathered by Conservation India of the massacre of over 120,000 Amur Falcons in just one week in a remote part of north east India. Read the article here

Martin Woodcock painted virtually all the colour plates for the seven-volume definitive work The Birds of Africa. Now you can buy some of the original plates from Birds of Africa, and help support some of the African Bird Club's conservation fund to support ornithological projects in Africa. Find out more here

Norfolk rarities committee member Graham Etherington reviews the large format version of Nils van Duivendijk's Advanced ID Handbook. PLUS RBA users special offer: SAVE £8.50 - Only £16.49 delivered! Read the review here

Galway's Belted Kingfisher reappears at the start of the week. Fair Isle's lingering Siberian Rubythroat breaks a record or two...as does the Kilminning Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. A Spanish Sparrow appears on the Isle of Wight. County Clare holds on to the Pied-billed Grebe and the juvenile female Northern Harrier in Wexford stays in to a new month plus, who knows what to make of the Sussex Hooded Merganser and much more. Read the round-up here

The Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler on the Isles of Scilly in October: Tim Vaughan's finder's report, with sound recordings and sonograms from Magnus Robb and The Sound Approach. Read the full article here

Unbelievable news this week, albeit belatedly, of a phylloscopus warbler on Portland thought to be either a Sakhalin or Pale-legged Leaf Warbler! Elsewhere there was a one-day Bobolink on Shetland whilst the Chestnut-eared Bunting and Siberian Rubythroat remained in place. In western Ireland there is a Pied-billed Grebe whilst on Scilly the archipelago's keenest listers score a brace of ticks with Chough and Great White Egret. Read the round-up here

Britain's second ever Chestnut-eared Bunting is found on mainland Shetland, whilst Fair Isle bags another Siberian Rubythroat. Elsewhere a super smart Daurian Shrike was on Portland whilst a number of Olive-backed Pipits and Red-flanked Bluetails are found in falls on the east coast. Read the round-up here

In the first of a new feature on the RBA website Andy Stoddart reviews Heimo Mikkola's photographic guide to the Owls of the World. Plus we have an exclusive offer when you purchase the book from WildSounds. Read the review here

We are delighted to announce that to coincide with our new book reviews, RBA users can now get exclusive discounts on selected books and products from WildSounds.com Full details here

This week, Ireland scores its first South Polar Skua from a Cork headland, an Eyebrowed Thrush keeps Shetland's tally of rares ticking over nicely, Nearctic vagrants on Scilly include Blackpoll Warbler & Solitary Sandpiper plus a whole lot more besides. Read the round-up here

Survey results recently published by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) reveal that the population of Pink-footed Geese may have dropped by around 100,000 in just the last two years Read the full story here >

Another amazing week in this already amazing autumn. The Western Palearctic's first Eastern Kingbird is found in Western Ireland and is quickly followed up by Belted Kingfisher, Myrtle Warbler and Blackpoll Warbler all in the same county! A whole raft of other quality rarities ensure this would go down in the ornithological record books as a vintage week Read the round-up here

Another hectic week packed full of quality rarities and it was Shetland which once again stole the limelight. Highlights included a trio of mainland Pallas's Grasshopper Warblers, the autumn's second Swainson's Thrush, an influx of American Buff-bellied Pipits plus much more Read the round-up here

New report reveals influx of wetland birds to Britain during freezing conditions. Read the full story here >

An Anglo-Russian team has successfully trialled conservation methods that will pave the way for Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpipers to be reared and released into the wild. Read the full story here >

A comprehensive round-up of a remarkable week, the highlight of which was undoubtedly Britain's second ever Magnolia Warbler on Fair Isle. With an outstanding supporting cast of Swainson's Thrush, Sykes's Warbler, Blyth's Pipit, White's Thrush, it was a week which will live long in the memory. Read the round-up here

Headline of the week was undoubtedly Shetland scoring its first-ever Red-eyed Vireo way up on Unst. Lingering rarities included the Short-billed Dowitchers in Dorset and on Scilly and the Baillon's Crake in London. Whilst in Somerset there was confirmation that Little Bittern bred once again on the Somerset Levels for the third year in a row. Read the round-up here

Mid September onwards is the prime time to try and connect with Leach's Petrel in Britain. The best sites are mainly dotted along the west coast and here we give you details on a few of the very best sites, some of which allow for some extraordinarily close views Read the article here

Another week packed with quality rarities, Britain's third ever Semipalmated Plover on the Western Isles, a new Short-billed Dowitcher in the south west and a co-operative Baillon's Crake in London were the headline makes but there were lots more goodies to be had Read the round-up here

What a week... a first for the WP in the shape of a fly-by Black Skimmer in County Mayo, Britain's second ever Short-billed Dowitcher in Dorset plus American Black Tern in the NW, Spanish Sparrow in Suffolk, Yelkouan Shearwater in County Durham plus much more Read the round-up here

Do birds use the berry bushes in your garden in the autumn? If so, you can help the BTO by contributing your observations in a new survey. More >

In contrast to the bad news from many seabird colonies around the British coast, the Sandwich Terns on Blakeney Point had a remarkable breeding season this year. More >

Dapper male Spanish Sparrow makes a brief touch down in Suffolk, a Fea's (type) Petrel cruises past the tip of west Cornwall, another Irish Barolo Little Shearwater, an influx of Azorean (Yellow-legged) Gulls.. Read the round-up here

A trio of Fea's (type) Petrels off the Irish coast, Ireland's second Least Sandpiper of the autumn flies through County Cork while a Barolo Little Shearwater also passes the Cork coast. Meanwhile the Northern Isles and east coast enjoyed another week of drifters and rares. Read the round-up here

The RSPB's Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire is celebrating a bumper harvest of a different kind this year: Barn Owls. Read the full story here

Eleonora's Falcon photographed in west Cornwall, County Kerry lands another Least Sandpiper, Pallid Harrier flies by in the Republic too... a 1st for Clare, Stilt Sandpiper lingers a little longer in Northumberland and much more Read the round-up here

London 2012 came alive and the GB Team were busy clearing up on gold medals. Meanwhile, over 700 miles away, a birder on Lewis was busy striking gold of another sort, ornithological gold! Tony Marr takes up the story here

Nearly 4,000 people arrested and more than 8,700 birds and other animals seized in a global crackdown on the black market trade in Latin American birds, according to INTERPOL. Read the full story here

Scotland's fourth ever Black-winged Pratincole makes landfall on Lewis, a Northumberland first in the shape of a Stilt Sandpiper and large numbers of Cory's Shearwaters are reported en-masse Read the round-up here

Avid patch watcher Julian Smith is privileged to have St.John's Pool at the top of Scotland as his local patch. 2012 has proved to be a superb year for the site and in July whilst photographing what he thought were a couple of Greenshank he noticed that one had bright yellow legs! Julian takes up the story here

The Greater Yellowlegs makes a reappearance in Highland, as does the Roller, this time on Orkney. Lothian hosts it second ever Semipalmated Sand whilst the east coast gets peppered with White-winged Black Terns. Perhaps the most amazing news of all though was the revelation that multiple Baillon's Crakes have been spending the summer in England and Wales Read the round-up here

Andy Stoddart steps in for Mark Golley again this week and details a very early Sharp-tailed Sandpiper on Orkney, a very mobile Caspian Tern in Norfolk and an all too brief Terek Sandpiper in Sussex.
Read the round-up here

SWAROVSKI OPTIK has announced the launch of its new generation of telescopes. In a radical design departure from previous spotting scopes the new look range boasts a 95mm version with 70x zoom and looks set to shake up the high-end optics market Read the full story here

The latest figures from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) show that four of our breeding waders have reached their lowest levels since the survey started in the early 1990s. Numbers of Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Snipe and Curlew were particularly low during the spring of 2011. Read the full story here

Autumnal wader arrivals stepped up a gear this week. Rare seabirds included a Fea's Petrel off Mizen Head and Wilson's Petrel and Cory's Shearwaters in the southwest. And it was announced that not one but two pairs of Great White Egret have bred in Somerset. Read the round-up here

The first ever Spoon-billed Sandpiper chicks have hatched in the UK at WWT Slimbridge. Great news for the amazing effort to save this critically endangered species. However, the project is short of funding by £50,000 for this year alone. Read the full story here

Natural England today confirmed that there's a second Great White Egret nest at Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve! Read the full story

The week just gone: Caspian Terns, a White-winged Black Tern, Marsh Sandpipers, River Warbler and Paddyfield Warbler. Read the round-up here

Little Swift on The Wirral becomes longest staying ever. Late spring migrants include Arctic and Paddyfield Warblers, the Black-browed Albatross reported again in The Channel and much more Read the round-up here

Police are appealing for information after a Golden Eagle was found dead near Morar, Lochaber in March. A post-mortem conducted by the Scottish government laboratory of Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture showed that the eagle had been poisoned with banned pesticides. Read the full story

A gamekeeper in Perthshire has been convicted of trapping a Common Buzzard and starving it to death in a crow trap. Read the full story

A long-staying Little Swift on The Wirral performs for the masses over the weekend and into the week. A Black-browed Albatross is photographed at sea some 30miles south of Portland, plus Pacific Golden Plover in Norfolk, possible Red-headed Bunting on the Western Isles and much more Read the round-up here

A Little Bittern in Hertfordshire gives folk the run-around before giving itself up, Black Scoter in Aberdeenshire, Roller and River Warbler still hanging around and perhaps bird of the week was a female Grey Phalarope in Highland, see the gripping photos and Read the round-up here

At midday on 20 June 1922, a remarkable group of people from different countries met in London and concluded that the only effective answer to the threats facing birds across the continents had to be through co-ordinated international action. So was born the International Council for Bird Preservation (now BirdLife), 90 years old today. Read the full story

LIPU's (BirdLife in Italy) annual International 'anti-poaching' camp took place from April 28 to May 13. The participants' main mission was to observe migratory birds and report on illegal hunting. The spring migration of raptors in Calabria (Italian region) this year has been characterised by a significant resumption of poaching in the south of the region. Read the full story

June usually marks the beginning of the summer rarity lull but despite some very unseasonal weather, birders from Shetland to Cornwall managed to find some choice birds with top-billing going to a Greater Sand Plover on Western Isles Read the round-up here

A long-lived Common Tern at Cliffe Pools RSPB has flown an equivalent distance to the Moon and lived past seven Olympic Games since it was ringed. Read the full story

Eagles would once have soared widely across English skies, but they disappeared at the hands of man: that's a key finding from a new study looking at the historic distribution of Britain and Ireland's two largest birds of prey. Read the full story

After all the commotion of last week things started to settle down somewhat. This week a Roller in East Yorkshire was the main draw after deciding to hang around and perform very well for visiting birders. Read the round-up here

In yet another u-turn the Government has announced that DEFRA won't be going ahead with its controversial Buzzard plans. The climbdown came very quickly following a huge public outcry on social media sites such as Twitter. Read the full story

Conservationists will attempt to give dozens of Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpipers a head-start this summer, by hand rearing them for the first weeks of their lives in Russia. Read the full story

Natural England announced last week that Great White Egret had nested in Britain for the first time. This week they have confirmed that at least one chick has been seen on the nest at their Shapwick Heath in Somerset, making this a new breeding bird record for the UK. Read the full story

Although it was touch and go, late May finally produced a monster rarity with just a few days to spare in the shape of a Western Orphean Warbler at Hartlepool Headland. Other top birds included a Roller in East Yorkshire and Ireland's first Collared Flycatcher in Donegal. Read the round-up here

The Government is to start persecuting Common Buzzards to try and find out how much they affect captive reared pheasants. The RSPB wants you to contact your MP. Read article here>

Although the coast had a good scattering of Spring scarcities, it was inland Herefordshire which struck back with the remarkable discovery of a Cream-coloured Courser.
Read the round-up here >

Natural England has confirmed that the Great White Egret has nested for the first time in Britain - at Shapwick Heath NNR in Somerset. More>

The latest in satellite tracking technology is being use to unlock the secrets of one of Britain's most elusive and endangered breeding birds. More >

An international agreement to take action for Greenland White-fronted Goose will be signed today at a major international meeting in France. More >

Another week and the Flamborough Ficedula Flycatcher is still making the headlines. This time though for many birders it's for all the wrong reasons as DNA sequencing has proved it to be a Pied Flycatcher.
Read the round-up here >

Conservationists are celebrating after an iconic bird has bred in Gloucestershire for the first time. A pair of Avocets has bred at WWT Slimbridge and two of their young have just hatched, with a further egg potentially hatching. Read the full story >

The future for England's most threatened bird of prey, the Hen Harrier, is looking perilous, as the species teeters on the brink of extinction as a breeding bird. Read the full story >

Four Cranes reared at WWT Slimbridge in 2010 and 2011 and then released into the wild as part of the Great Crane Project have returned home for the first time. More >

Warden Mike Youdale gives us the low down on the coming and goings at Caerlaverock WWT. As the wintering birds start to move on the first arrivals of spring begin arriving. More >

As the Ficedula flycatcher remained at Flamborough the birding community is holding it's collective breath awaiting the outcome of DNA sampling to confirm the identity of this challenging bird. In the meantime a flood of new birds were on hand to keep everyone entertained with Kent scoring a mega lark double. More >

BirdLife International's Partners in the Americas network have now completed three years of conservation efforts for migratory birds along the Western Hemisphere Flyway. More >

This week a challenging Ficedula flycatcher in Yorkshire whose identity is still unknown could prove to be a British first. Plus a Bufflehead in Lincolnshire, roaming White Storks and some very smart looking passerines. More >

The most recent update on the BTO's satellite-tracked Cuckoos that are now on their way back to the UK. More >

A survey this spring has revealed that numbers of Black Grouse have doubled in parts of northern England in the last two years. More >

Another relatively quiet week on the new rarity front but still plenty of migrants to entertain despite the miserable conditions. A very smart looking Ashy-headed Wagtail in Cheshire and a flock of White Storks in Worcestershire star More >

The Cahow or Bermuda Petrel population has reached 101 pairs for the first time since the 17th Century. For the first time since its rediscovery in 1951, the population of Bermuda's National Bird, this Critically Endangered bird has passed the landmark number of 101 nesting pairs. More >

Another relatively quiet week with few new birds reported but Mark doesn't let this stop him! Another packed review including Black-winged Stilt tracking and a major movement of Ring Ouzels More >

Mark is away this week but we are delighted to welcome Andy Stoddart to the weekly review team. The news over the past week and Easter weekend was dominated by the Thayer's Gull in Lincolnshire. More >

Conservationists have welcomed the introduction of a hosepipe ban across drought-stricken areas of England. More >

Residents of Bupa care homes are calling on local communities to help reverse the decline in the UK house sparrow population by joining them in creating sparrow-friendly gardens. More >

A dramatic change in the weather as we moved into April meant a serious lack of new birds turning up. However the appearance of a very strong candidate for Thayer's Gull in Lincolnshire towards the end of the week is getting the larid lovers all excited. More >

Counts in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch revealed that starling numbers are at an all time low since the survey began more than thirty years ago. More >

Late March is not usually known for bumper crops of quality rarities and scarce migrants but that is exactly what got delivered last week. Irish birders in particular were treated to a couple of cracking birds including a welcome addition to most Irish birders lists. More >

A UK-wide survey of wildlife in schools has revealed that playing fields provide decent stomping grounds for some of the UK gulls including the 'red-listed' Herring Gull. More >

No new major rarities to report this week, at least twitchable ones anyway, but a stellar cast of long stayers and a few "might have been" provide the entertainment. More >

The next diary instalment from WWT Caerlaverock warden Mike Youdale, good numbers of Barnacle Geese and a brief visit from a showy Ross's Goose feature More >

Week two of our new reviews and Kent is home to yet another British Short-toed Treecreeper record, a wintering Waterthrush remains on Scilly, wandering Ibises and much more More >

Hen Harriers on Orkney have reached a 20-year high of 100 breeding females producing more than 100 chicks, announced the RSPB. More >

To coincide with the launch of our new-look website we are delighted to announce that Mark Golley will be writing a weekly review of birding's highs, and lows, from around the British Isles. Published each Wednesday, they promise to be a great read for all, we hope you enjoy them. More >

February 2012 saw the finding of Britain's 10th Common Yellowthroat at Rhiwderin in Gwent, south Wales. Local birder Darryl Spittle, who was instrumental in helping release the news to the masses, takes up the story. More >