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Latest news

FIELD TEST: OPTICRON AURORA BGA VHD 10X42 BINOCULARS

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​​The Aurora BGA VHD 10x42's have been designed on a new platform with an entirely new optical system by Opticron. We have heard great things about them and were keen to have a look. So off to the Fishers Green / Lea Valley patch we went...​
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SWAROVSKI OPTIK EXPANDS ITS NL PURE RANGE WITH SMALLER, LIGHTER NL PURE 32 BINOCULARS

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​​The Tyrolean family-owned company has announced it is launching a smaller, lighter version of the binoculars in May 2021 - the NL Pure 32.​
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1 MILLION TAKE PART IN RECORD-BREAKING RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH​​

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Over a million people across the UK spent an hour watching the birds that visit their garden or outdoor space for the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, double last year’s participation numbers.​
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​​2020 PRODUCES A MIXED BAG FOR NORTHERN IRELAND’S SEABIRDS

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​2020 was a mixed bag for Northern Ireland’s seabirds but confirmed the importance of the country’s coastline for its 20 breeding seabird species.​
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​OPTICRON RELEASES THEIR ALL-NEW AURORA BGA VHD 8X42 AND 10X42 BINOCULARS

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​Designed on a new platform with an entirely new optical system, the Aurora BGA VHD binoculars are on paper - right up there with the leading lightweight pro field binoculars available today.​
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​PLENTY OF REASONS TO BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT UK'S HOUSE SPARROWS

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​Saturday 20 March was World Sparrow Day and according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful for our House Sparrows.​
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​FIELD TEST:  SWAROVSKI OPTIK NL PURE 8X42 BINOCULARS

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In February, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to evaluate the new Swarovski Pure NL 8x42 binoculars and didn’t hesitate. From the moment I removed them from the box I realised that my optimism had been justified. ​
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​NEST BOX LIVE TO LAUNCH ON KICKSTARTER 21 APRIL 2021

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Nest Box Live is an innovative ‘smart’ nest box that sends notifications, records footage and live streams to social media. It’s packed full of technology that can track breeding patterns and monitor populations.​
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BRITISH BIRDS AND THE BTO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF THE AWARD FOR BEST BIRD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020

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Overall, 50 books were considered for the award and this was whittled down to a shortlist of seven after the first round of voting by the six judges. The judging was held online this year, which made access to the books a bit more difficult, but each finalist received votes from at least three of the judges, showing the strength of each title.​
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GEARING COMPANY SET TO LAUNCH THE 'FUTURE OF TRIPODS'​​

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The new Gearing Tripod System, featuring patented magnetic technology and highly customisable elements, is promising to change the game somewhat.​
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​CRANE POPULATION HITS RECORD-BREAKING HIGH AFTER BECOMING EXTINCT IN THE UK NEARLY 400 YEARS AGO

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Common crane numbers have hit record-breaking levels after becoming extinct in the UK nearly 400 years ago. Thanks to the efforts of conservationists, 64 pairs were present in 2020.​
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​​STYLISH AND PRACTICAL NEW OUTDOORS JACKETS FROM COUNTRY INNOVATION ABOUT TO HIT THE SHOPS AFTER A 2 YEAR WAIT

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Somerset based outdoors clothing specialist, Country Innovation are masters of their art. For 25 years, the brand has poured its heart and soul into design and development of clothing products for people who enjoy the great outdoors and have created specialist jackets for birders and wildlife watchers/photographers. ​​
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​SWAROVSKI OPTIK RELEASES NEW CL POCKET BINOCULARS FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR A COMPACT ALL-ROUNDER 

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Since the launch of its compact binoculars in 1989, they have become some of the company’s most popular products and evolved into the ideal companions for a wide range of activities. Now SWAROVSKI OPTIK has given the popular CL Pocket a whole new look. ​
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​​STAYCATIONS IN 2020 PRODUCED THE ULTIMATE SEABIRD WATCHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UK'S BIRDERS

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In 2020 people flocked to the sea as soon as lockdown restrictions were lifted – they needed the coast as never before. Wildlife Trusts around the country were reporting a surge of public interest in marine life and coastal species as tern species rocket in numbers.
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​THE NATIONAL BIRD OF CHILE, COLOMBIA, ECUADOR AND BOLIVIA IS NOW GLOBALLY THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION

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The iconic, Andean Condor, is the emblematic national bird of Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. This majestic species now faces its biggest fight for survival as it stares extinction full in the face.
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where have all our blue tits gone in 2020?

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Lockdowns have allowed many people to reconnect with nature in 2020, but evidence from the BTO's Garden BirdWatch survey has shown that some of our favourite garden species, such as the Blue Tit, have been struggling this year, possibly due to the unusually warm spring.
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​SWAROVSKI OPTIK LAUNCHES NEW GEAR COLLECTION

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Already one of the world's leading manufacturers of long-range optics, SWAROVSKI OPTIK now offers more diverse equipment with the launch of their new GEAR collection. Products which now include nicely designed backpacks, gloves, beanies, flasks and other accessories - ideal for birding and wildlife watching in the colder months to come. 
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​WHERE CAN YOU SEE PINK-FOOTED GEESE IN ENGLAND THIS WINTER?

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Into the North Atlantic they fly, making a pit-stop on the Faroe Islands six hours later and resting for a day before taking off again towards British shores. A day later, they land on our coasts. Over 400,000 pink-footed geese will spend the winter in the UK.

Here are our top five places to see them...
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​2020 HAS BEEN A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR UK'S ROSEATE TURNS

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The roseate tern - the UK's rarest nesting seabird - has had a record-breaking year with 130 breeding pairs on Coquet Island, the only breeding colony in the UK.
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​BRITISH CUCKOO TRACKED MAKING 1,850 MILES JOURNEY OVER ATLANTIC AND SAHARA DESERT AS WEATHER SYSTEM MAKES IT ALL POSSIBLE

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During the last two years British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) researchers have been following a Suffolk Cuckoo on its annual migration to central Africa – what it did on 1 September took them all by surprise!
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Mega birding milestones on the Isles of Scilly

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The Isles of Scilly are famed for diverse, beautiful and often rare wildlife. Autumn migration is where the magic really happens and this season is shaping up to be a classic year, with sightings already including Black Kites, Spotted Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint and an Alpine Swift.
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​SWAROVSKI OPTIK RELEASE 'FIRST OF ITS KIND' NEW 115-MM OBJECTIVE MODULE

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SWAROVSKI OPTIK release 'first of its kind' new 115-mm objective module for wildlife watchers.
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​IT'S OFFICIAL! THE WREN IS THE UK'S MOST COMMONEST BIRD

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In the latest report looking at the size of our bird populations the Wren tops the list with 11 million pairs across the UK.
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​​​WORLD'S RAREST DUCK BREEDS IN THE WILD FOR THE FIRST TIME

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A pioneering conservation project, to save the world’s rarest duck, has hit a key milestone well ahead of expectations.
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​​SPOON-BILLED SANDPIPERS GIVEN FRESH HOPE AFTER CHICKS HATCH AT WWT SLIMBRIDGE RESERVE

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The Spoon-billed sandpiper, the world’s rarest wader, has been thrown a lifeline after two chicks hatched at WWT Slimbridge in Gloucestershire.
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​Scottish Short-eared Owl tracked to Morocco's 'oyster capital'

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A Short-eared Owl that has been fitted with a satellite tag while breeding in Scotland, has been tracked all the way to Morocco, revealing significant new information for British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) researchers. 
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CANON LAUNCHES TWO NEW PAIRS OF IMAGE STABILISER BINOCULARS -
​8X20 IS AND 10X20 IS

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Canon has announced the addition of two new products to its range of image stabilised binoculars - the 420g 8x magnification Canon 8X20 IS and the 10x magnification Canon 10X20 IS.
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​​BRITAIN IS BOOMING! BITTERNS ON THE RISE AND HERE'S WHERE TO SEE ONE

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Britain’s loudest bird – once extinct – has enjoyed its best year since records began, according to a new survey by the RSPB.
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​FIFTY YEARS OF DATA SHOWS SPECIES WINNERS AND LOSERS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN ENGLAND

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New research, just published in the journal Bird Study, has shown that one third of 68 breeding species in England have been affected by climate change, leading to notable increases in some and declines in a few.

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HISTORY MADE AS FIRST PAIR OF SAVI’S WARBLER NEST IN WALES

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For the first time in Wales, a pair of Savi’s warblers have nested on the RSPB Cors Ddyga reserve on Anglesey.

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​OVER 10 HEN HARRIER CHICKS SATELLITE TAGGED IN SCOTLAND

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RSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE project has fitted more than 10 young hen harriers with satellite tags this summer in Scotland. 

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RECORDED MOVEMENT OF A STEPPE EAGLE OVER 20 YEAR PERIOD

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This map shows the movement of a Steppe eagle over a twenty year period. The bird had a tracker fitted in Russia and the solar device recorded right through to when the bird died twenty years later in the Valley of the Child in Saudi Arabia. 

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