A field journal for the patient eye.
BirdLife is an editorial journal and living resource for anyone drawn to birds — from backyard watchers to field ornithologists and conservationists. Since 2023 we've published more than 1,000 stories, guides, and dispatches — long-form reportage, species profiles, identification resources, gear reviews, and expedition field notes — from contributors working on every continent.
We believe in slow looking. The best observation, the clearest field note, the patient hide in the marsh at dawn. Our work is for the reader who would rather learn one species deeply than skim a hundred headlines.
What we publish
- Original reportage on conservation and climate
- Species profiles and identification guides
- Field techniques and gear for birders and naturalists
- A weekly reader-submitted Photo of the Week
- Global birding expeditions led by working ornithologists
- Educational resources and reference material
Who keeps the journal honest.
Tara Panton
Tara holds a BSc in biology and came to birding through a love of field observation and the patience of a trained scientist. An enthusiastic hobby photographer, she travels across Southern Africa and farther afield in pursuit of bucket-list species — the ones that demand an early alarm, a long hike, and a little luck.
Her most recent tick was an Atlantic puffin on the cliffs of Cornwall in southern England. Next on the list is the prehistoric shoebill stork, with plans to track it down in 2026. As a moderator she reviews Photo of the Week submissions from the African flyway, fact-checks southern-hemisphere species profiles, and helps shape the expedition calendar. Her life list currently stands at 1,249.
- Based
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Joined
- 2021
- Patch
- Cape Peninsula & the West Coast
- Lifer count
- 1,249