• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

best birdwatching mag? (1 Viewer)

B

balex78

Well-known member
Hello,

I'd like to subscribe to a monthly bird magazine, so, in your opinion, what's the best birdwatching magazine?
Since I'm from Italy, I would be interested mostly in european birding!

Thanks a lot in advance!
Alex
 
Just to start the ball rolling.... Birding World has lots of nice photos of rare birds and features on (non-British) birding areas and covers WP and further afield quite well, but is mainly of U.K. interest and in English, obviously. I'd say the best general mags in U.K. (Sorry don't know about Italy) are British Birds and Birdwatch (both mainly U.K. interest again...). Dutch Birding I don't get, but do read and is also very good Europe-wise, but partly in Dutch.

I'm sure other members will have a better idea of the best subscription mag from an Italian perspective. Sorry can't be more help !

Cheers G
 
Last edited:
Which of these two do you all prefer, Birdwatch or Birdwatching? I'm leaning towards the former, even tho in an old issue I just read (March 09) they made a claim that it was the fitrst mag for birders when it apperared in 1992! Err Birdwatching has been going much longer than that(I still have a little free tick book from way back in 1986!)
 
James Lidster said:
i think Birdwatch are implying that 'Birdwatching' magazine isn't for birders, but more for bird-watchers, etc!
Cheers
James
Click to expand...
Surely they're one and the same! I always thought 'birder' was the american usage of birdwatcher.
Personally I want a mag that's about the birds rather than about the birdwatchers! I think Birdwatch has the edge there over Birdwatching.
 
Last edited:
without getting into the ins and outs of birder/bird-watcher/bird-spotter/etc they are not viewed as the same from the magazine point of view. I think it's made to sound that Birdwatch is for BIRDERS....whereas 'the other magazine' is for people who like looking at birds in their garden, taking walks with binoculars etc.
I gather that one of the magazines has a much larger readership than the other, but then there are many more people with a casual interest in birds than there are 'serious' ones.
The key thing is they are catering for 2 different markets, and if that means that more people show an interest in birds, it can only be a good thing.
Cheers
James
 
Richard Klim said:
I see that in August, Birdwatch's publisher will launch a new quarterly birding magazine for beginners: Go birdwatching (ugh!) – edited by David Cromack, the former editor of Birdwatching:
http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/channel/newsitem.asp?c=11&cate=__9208
http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/store/product.asp?prod=1738&cat=84

I suspect that a lot of the same old seasonal boilerplate will get recycled, but now between three titles.

Richard
Click to expand...

Hmmm might be good for the kids!
 
Choosing a birding magazine depends on your budget, interests and how seriously you are interested in watching birds. Birdwatching is worthy of a read if you're a beginner or have a general interest in birds. It was the first of the modern off-the-shelf titles. Birdwatch came along and pitched at the range of birders and is constantly working to appeal to all - a hard task which it manages very well. Its an enjoyable mix of features. Ironically I don't think that there is a market for more magazine titles - two have launched recently and I haven't the money to buy yet more of the same.

Birding World is a worthwhile magazine if you want to be up to date with the UK rarities and some cutting edge ID e.g. on Feas Petrel. British Birds is a very informative, authoratitive and wide ranging journal and well worthwhile subscribing to. If you have a European interest then Dutch Birding is also good. The challenge is where do you draw the line and what are magazines offering that you're not seeing free on the web ?

If, like the original questioner, I was living in Italy and was to choose one magazine of all these then it would be British Birds.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 14 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

Birding Havana
Issue No.12 of The Cuban Birder magazine is out
Replies
1
Views
586
MiddleRiver
MiddleRiver
01101001
The popularity of birdwatching by country
2 3
Replies
57
Views
4K
Himalaya
H
S
New recorded-in-the-field Audiobook, "Songs & Sounds"
Replies
0
Views
625
songbirder
S
K
New to birding
Replies
6
Views
447
Fritz73
Fritz73
N
Seeking insights for a birdwatching data analysis project
Replies
3
Views
573
jurek
jurek

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top