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September/October 2020

There's a lot to love in the September/October issue of BWD. Our cover story features the trumpeter swan, which nearly went extinct in the early twentieth century, but reintroduction efforts have succeeded beyond expectation. Also, purchasing your first spotting scope can be intimidating, but optics experts Michael and Diane Porter are here to help with an explanation of a scope’s important features. Their overview of nine scopes under $1,000 includes various sizes, magnification ranges, and focusing solutions so you can determine which one is right for you. And, expect the unexpected, advises BWD’s in-house professional photographer, Bruce Wunderlich. Bruce shares the camera checklist he uses to ensure he is always prepared to capture an image. Find all this and more in the September/October issue of BWD!
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Issue Features
The Inaccessible: Island Rail: Rare and Fascinating Flightless Bird by Ross G. Cooper
Bird-safe Libations: How to Choose Your Drink to Benefit Wild Birds by Bryony Angell
Optics Review: Entry-level Spotting Scopes by Michael and Diane Porter
James Bond: Bird Watcher or Spy? by Hank Weber

In the Backyard
Saved by Crows by John C. Weil
Rogue Robin by Joan Cwi

Columns & Departments
Letters from Readers
Migrations: Blame It on the Birds by Scott Weidensaul
Cover Species: The Amazing Return of the Trumpeter Swan by G. Cope Schellhorn
Identify Yourself: Orange-crowned Warblers: I Don’t See the Orange! by Alvaro Jaramillo
I Wanted to Have a Chat with a Chat by Al Batt
My Way: Toilet Paper That’s for the Birds! by Linda Coulter
BirdTography: Be Prepared by Bruce Wunderlich
Birders Question Mark by Mark S. Garland
Spotlight on Indiana
True Nature: Return of the Redtail by Julie Zickefoose
Bird Behavior: Reader Questions Answered by David M. Bird
Far Afield: Kilauea Point: A Refuge for the Birds by Tom Simpson
Book Notes
Redstart Birding
