In the next issue March

■ The elusive woodpecker One of Britain’s most secretive and fastestdeclining resident birds, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is tricky to track down these days. Experts Ken and Linda Smith profile this much-loved bird.

■ On eggshells Why do birds’ eggs vary so much in their colours and patterns? Why do their shapes differ? What purposes do these serve? Dr Steve Portugal explores the fascinating biology surrounding this crucial stage of a bird’s life cycle.

■ Ebbing tides Estuaries are crucial habitats for an array of migrant and wintering birds. Teresa Frost of the BTO explains the importance of monitoring these species through the WeBS Low Tide Counts scheme.

■ Art attack Just how do you go about illustrating birds effectively? Talented bird artist Miles Cluff discusses the concept and offers some tips.

■ Voyage of discovery Experienced seabirder Bob Flood reports back on an epic six-week pelagic trip from Hawaii to Fiji, visiting remote areas of the Pacific on the hunt for Critically Endangered petrels.

■ Know your hawks March is prime time to be seeking out territories of Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Northern Goshawk, as it is the peak of the displaying season. Ed Stubbs offers advice on how to detect the latter species and distinguish the two in this month’s field ID notes.

PLUS: topical comment from columnists Lucy McRobert and Alan Tilmouth, the team at BirdGuides provides round-ups of January’s rarity highlights from Britain, Ireland and the wider Western Palearctic, news, views and reviews, advice on building your birding skills and knowledge, and our expert panel answers your questions.