Researchers have identified that American Robin nests are less successful in areas where there are bird feeders and ask the question, are we doing more harm than good by feeding garden birds?
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Britain's 12th ever Dusky Thrush is found in Derbyshire and draws big mid-week crowds. Elsewhere Masked Wagtail and Eastern Black Redstarts share the limelight.
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After failing for the last 4 years, the only Bearded Vulture pair in Andorra successfully fledged a chick in 2016, and it has all been captured on video.
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Research has identified that signals critical for the survival are compromised when birds live near even moderately busy roads.
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Huge restoration project is under way in Bialowieza Forest National Park, to recover invaluable habitat for raptors, owls and woodpeckers.
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RSPB Scotland has dismissed a press release issued by the Gift of Grouse campaign that attempts to draw a veil over the continued persecution of birds of prey. More here >

Money raised at Britain's first mainland Siberian Accentor has been donated to a childrens hospice by Spurn Bird Observatory.
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It was a relatively quiet week by recent standards, that was until news of a Masked Wagtail in Pembrokeshire broke on the 29th, whilst last week's Forster's Tern relocated from East Anglia to Kent.
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Fly larvae in nests of European bee-eaters clean nests by foraging on faeces and uneaten food allowing offspring to develop normally.
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Its' been confirmed that Bearded Tits have have bred at RSPB Langfield Lowfields in Nottinghamshire, a first for the county.
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Questions are being raised about the validity of the latest Annual Wildlife Crime report published by the Scottish Government on 25th November.
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The organisers of the T in the Park music festival have cancelled the event for 2017, citing the presence of an Osprey nest as a factor in the decision.
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Parents need to synchronize the care for their offspring. This leads to extreme and unexpected diversity in how parents attend their nest in shorebirds.
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A new study has shown that American Kestrels are breeding earlier as humans respond to milder winters caused by climate change.
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Scientists have photographed a fledgling Night Parrot for the first time at Bush Heritage Australia's Pullen Pullen Reserve in Queensland.
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The Scottish Government has said it will give Beavers native species status after their reintroduction to Scotland, meaning they are now here to stay.
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A new stucy has shown that birds prefer to fly between the gardens of leafy suburban neighbourhoods to visit bird feeders than city terraces or new-build estates. More here >

20,000 Endangered White-headed Ducks have been counted in Kazakhstan, exceeding all the previous historical records and is 4,000 greater than the most recent global population estimate.
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A tiny transmitter on a tiny bird is helping conservationists in their bid to save the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper from extinction.
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Woodland birds have increased 68% since 1994, according to a new report from SNH, but waders and upland species show large declines.
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In the early 20th century, tens of thousands of Ruddy-headed Geese crowded the deserts of Patagonia. Today it thought that the population is less than around 800.
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The switch from autumn migrants to winter birds continued this week and by the end of the week was almost complete. Britain's first Forster's Tern for 13 years was the star bird of the week.
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More vulture related news from the folk at VCF where they report on a Spanish vet who found a Griffon Vulture imprisoned in the entrails of a horse carcass! More here >

Deforestation is one of the biggest threats to bird biodiversity and If action isn't taken, we could soon lose some of the world's rarest and most beautiful birds forever. More here >

Scientists have identified the first evidence of Deepwater Horizon oil in a land animal -- the Seaside Sparrow. The scientists analysed the diet and feathers of sparrows collected more than a year after the oil spill. More here >

The Cirl Bunting, has continued its trail blazing comeback from the brink of extinction after the UK population reached more than 1000 pairs.
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The first Bitterns to breed in Oxfordshire for more than 150 years have been recorded at the RSPB Otmoor reserve, thanks to the hard work of volunteers.
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Brief windows of continental air brought more winter thrushes and Waxwings. A Black-throated Thrush on Orkney, Killdeer on Shetland and a Harlequin in Ireland were standout birds this week.
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On 10th November, whilst in Costa Rica, Dutch birder Arjan Dwarshuis clocked up his 6.119th species seen in a calendar year - a Northern Jacana and broke the world year-listing record.
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The RSPB have announced that the population has increased to 508 pairs in Scotland but that they are still largely missing from eastern grouse moors.
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It has been found that marine plastic debris emits the scent of a sulfurous compound that some seabirds have relied upon for thousands of years to tell them where to find food. More here >

A team of US researchers have discovered three never before documented bird species in Africa, and according to the team leader there could well be more waiting to be discovered.
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More than 200 bird species are thought to be at risk of extinction despite not being included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
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Birds' bills come in an incredible range of shapes and sizes, adapted for survival in environments. But as a new study reveals, there's even more to bird beaks than meets the eye.
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Is it possible to predict the arrival time of rare and scarce seabirds travelling between east coast seawatching sites? Ross Ahmed has crunched the numbers and thinks it is.
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Andy looks back at another very good week, the highlight of which was undoubtedly a twitchable Cliff Swallow on the east coast, whilst the Siberian Accentor count keeps on ticking up.
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The Common Crane has continued to make a comeback after the latest survey revealed a record breaking 48 pairs across the UK in 2016 ith the total population now at an estimated 160 birds.
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Keen on photography but having only recently got into wildlife and birding, Ross Moore, finds a stunning Eyebrowed Thrush at Bolam Lake Country Park.
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The EU LIFE +PINZON project have released the first captive-bred Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch, into the pine forests surrounding the summit of Gran Canaria.
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Authorities in Jordan have seized 7,000 dead birds in the largest illegal hunting violation ever recorded in the Kingdom, the haul included 6,600 Blackcaps.
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A Cuckoo, satellite tagged in Beijing, named 'Skybomb Bolt' has flown 3,700km non-stop across the Arabian Sea to Africa, revealing for the first time where they spend the winter.
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The Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper will be stepping into the limelight in a new C4 documentary series, at 7pm on Saturday.
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One of the UK's rarest reptiles and three nationally important species of bird have reached record breaking numbers on nature reserves across the country.
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Azure-winged Magpies have been shown to provide food to their group members spontaneously and without the other birds begging them, in an act of so-called 'proactive prosociality'.
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BirdLife has welcomed the establishment of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area, which will protect some 1.5 M square kilometres of the Southern Ocean.
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Bird guide, Daniel Lopez-Velasco reports following a trip to Papua New Guinea to see some of the world's most stunning birds.
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The rares continued into the last week of October and into the first week of November. With far too many highlights to list here its best to just get stuck in and read all about it!
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A newly-published paper calls for better legal protection and a change in the threat status of two rare laughingthrushes that are facing an acute threat from illegal trade. More here >

New research has confirmed what some had suspected, that Common Swifts can go for most of the year (up to 10 months) without ever coming down.
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Populations of one of Scotland's rarest breeding birds, the Corncrake, have suffered a fall in numbers for the second year running, showing a drop of 20% in just two years. More here >

Andy Stoddart reviews another week of easterly winds which brought more Siberian Accentors and other eastern birds to the east coast but with the headline being made by a dead Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler found on Scilly.
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Researchers behind a new study tracked five Great Reed-Warblers over the course of two years, identifying key areas along their amazing cross-continental journeys.
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The UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has published the first phase of a review of the UK network of Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
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In a bid to understand how the Lesser Black-backed Gull behaves around offshore wind farms, the British Trust for Ornithology has partnered with DONG Energy to carry out a study off the Cumbrian coast.
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Andy Stoddart reviews Dick Forsman's latest book on raptors which includes a portfolio of outstanding raptor images. Plus there is a special offer for RBA readers from WildSounds & Books.
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The bittern, extinct in the UK at the turn of the 20th Century, has experienced another successful year for breeding, according to an annual national survey carried out by RSPB staff and volunteers.
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Gavin Maclean describes finding a Western Orphean Warbler on Shetland at the less often watched plantation at Loch of Benston. More here >

Lance Degnan describes finding the second Siberian Accentor in the UK, at Easington in Yorkshire, which sparked one of Britain's biggest ever twitches
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Andy Stoddart reviews another amazing week of continuing easterly winds and mostly Asian birds, with four more Siberian Accentors making the headlines.
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The body of a female crane released as part of the Great Crane Project five years ago has been found shot dead.
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Blue Tit feeding and exploratory behaviour during migration may be driven by their need for energy and environmental information, according to a new study.
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Scientists had always assumed that Blackbirds gradually adjusted their daily rhythm from diurnal to nocturnal activity, but new research has found that the change is abrupt. More here >

WWT played a key part in two landmark four-yearly global meetings that have helped to provide future protection for wetlands.
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The mystery of red feathers appearing in eastern North America's yellow-shafted population of Northern Flickers has been solved. The culprit was found to be the ingestion of berries from invasive honeysuckle.
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Several areas of the UK earmarked for fracking support some of the country’s richest wildlife, a new study involving Butterfly Conservation has revealed.
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A new Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) report predicts that the number of White-tailed Eagles is likely to be around 221 pairs by 2025 with potential for a much larger population by 2040.
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Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) around England’s seas and coasts currently offer no protection for our globally important seabird populations.
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On 10th November, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) celebrates its 70th anniversary. The organisation has grown to be one of the world's largest and most respected wetland conservation institutions.
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We hear from Simon Mitchell, Keith Langdon, Joe England & Lawrence Sampson who found Britain's sixth Black-faced Bunting on Shetland.
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Andy Stoddart reviews an incredible week where prolonged easterly winds brought rarities and migrants all down the east coast and beyond, topped by Britain's first Siberian Accentor on Shetland.
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We hear from Judd Hunt and Hugh Harrop who found a Siberian Accentor on Shetland, a first for Britain.
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New research has shown that saving two adult Bonelli's Eagles or four young eagles per year would be enough to stabilise the declining population population.
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New research helps explain how birds such as Gannets and Boobies manage high-speed dives for prey without sustaining serious injuries.
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The RSPB is calling for better protection for the thousands of seabirds including Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins and England's only nesting Black Guillemots, that breed on the Cumbria coast.
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The Nightjar, one of Scotland’s rarest and most unusual birds, appears to be thriving in Dumfries and Galloway, after good numbers were reported from surveys this summer.
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Two threatened species of wading bird were seen in record numbers at Dove Stone in the Peak District this breeding season, thanks to an ongoing programme of habitat restoration.
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Common butterflies saw their numbers collapse over the summer despite the UK experiencing weather conditions that usually help them to thrive, results from the Big Butterfly Count have revealed.
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A pair of Common Cranes nested on the Gwent Levels this year, successfully rearing a single chick which flew for the first time in August.
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Wind turbines are known to kill large birds, such as Golden Eagles, that live nearby. Now there is evidence that birds from up to hundreds of miles away make up a significant portion of the raptors that are killed.
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Jon Dunn rounds up another mega-filled week. Britain's first Eastern Kingbird topped the billing, plus there was an Eastern Crowned Warbler in E.Yorkshire, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo on Barra and much more.
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The annual week long event has been expanded in 2016 to include a programme of walks, talks and workshops, celebrating different aspects of migration and all events are free.
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Swarovski Optik have launched a new digiscoping adapter for full frame cameras which completes its range of custom digiscoping adapters.
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We review this fully updated edition of Birds of Nepal - the most comprehensive guide to the birds of this beautiful Himalayan country. Plus there is a special offer for RBA readers from WildSounds & Books.
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A new law has been passed in Namibia which aims to protect 30,000 seabirds which die as a result of the trawling or longlining.
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Tanks to many years of tireless work from Society for the Conservation of Nature in Liberia, Gola Forest was officially declared a National Park on September 22.
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In a new study that upends the way ornithologists think about a young bird's diet has found that when it comes to what chicks eat, quality trumps quantity.
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A team of scientists led by Plymouth University and the University of Exeter examined the feeding behaviours of breeding Northern Gannets in the Celtic Sea.
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A planning inspectorate has refused two water abstraction licence renewal applications that threatened rare wildlife at Catfield Fen in Norfolk.
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A new design of firebreaks around a Bolivian nature reserve has been successful in protecting the habitat of the Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw.
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A superb week with birds from the west and east, highlights included a 'Mega-fall' of Yellow-browed Warblers, Swainson's Thrushes, Two Red-eyed Vireos, Brunnich's Guillemot and Brown Shrike.
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Stuck on the mainland as they waited to get to the Isle of May, Alan Lauder & Ken Shaw find a Brunnich's Guillemot in Anstruther harbour.
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New research conducted at Fair Isle Bird Observatory has shown that migrating birds like Swallows and House Martins are increasingly reluctant to leave the UK and return to Africa.
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Two captive-bred Egyptian Vultures released this year in Bulgaria have drowned crossing between Turkey and Cyprus on their migration south.
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Following their launch in 2015, Spurn Bird Observatory Trust is once again running their 'School of Birding' workshops this coming October.
Full details here >

Lots of good old-fashioned east coast (and Northern Isles) birding, with the highlight being a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler at Spurn, however a Common Yellowthroat in Northern Ireland bucked the trend.
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Andy Stoddart reviews the new DVD which provides easy access to all 26 'Birding World' volumes and 'Twitching' too, 324 issues in all.
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BirdLife Malta's have begun their annual Raptor Camp monitoring illegal hunting of wild birds during peak autumn migration when it coincides with the hunting season. More here >

Defra have confirmed the first Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) in the UK, two have been found in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. More here >

Ecuador and Peru are creating the first UNESCO Transboundary Biosphere Reserve to protect almost 2 million hectares of dry forest across two countries. More here >

Great Tits pick their spring breeding sites to be near their winter flockmates, according to new research into the social networks of birds from the University of Oxford. More here >