We're delighted to say that the annual Bird Report for 2010 is now available. The eye-catching colour front cover this year is of a Sabine's Gull, a sought-after rarity on Wirral. With a new layout for this Report, the text is condensed to 184 pages, which includes 96 maps, graphs and tables, and 13 beautiful illustrations from two different artists. As usual, the colour map of the county forms the centre spread of the Report. A total of 17 colour photographs, which best capture some of the highlights of the year, are spread over seven full pages.

As usual, this year's Bird Report is full of interesting articles:

• Cheshire and Wirral is the most important county in Britain for breeding Grey Herons; so this comprehensive article shows the threefold increase during the 31-year period 1980-2010.
• Highlight of the year was the discovery of the first breeding of Marsh Harriers in our county.
• Hobby, an increasing summer visitor to Britain, is considered a difficult species to census, so this is the first time an estimate has been made of the population in our county.
• The results of a survey of wintering Goosanders in Cheshire and Wirral,undertaken during 2009-2011.
• A welcome report of the acceptance by BBRC of the Iberian Chiffchaff at Dibbinsdale from 2004.
• It took two frustrating days to confirm the identification of a 'mobile' marsh tern as a juvenile Whiskered Tern.
• Another article recalls the excitement of finding a Lesser Yellowlegs at Inner Marsh Farm.
• For two observers, even their combined 40 years of serious gull-watching had not prepared them when they came across an almost black large gull on Richmond Bank.
• The results of a survey of warblers and a repeat census of Rooks, both undertaken in Cheshire and Wirral during 2010.
• The second record of a confirmed breeding attempt of Common Terns in the county and the first record of fledged young.
• A description of the second proven breeding of Cetti's Warbler in Cheshire.
• A fascinating description of an early spring exodus of Pink-footed Geese from East Anglia on their migration to Iceland and Greenland via the Lancashire mosses.
• Finally, following the relatively severe winter of 2009/2010, the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) results for 2010 look in particular at species resident all year.