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The bitter cold of January does not freeze the birder’s enthusiasm for starting a new year list, with even ordinary species exciting a thrill. February may not be so chilly and may even prompt the odd bird into song; it’s time to mop up the more difficult winter visitors. March sees the arrival of our first non-resident breeders and lowers the curtain on Act One of the Birding Year. But the drama continues over the next eight months in a series of personal vignettes illustrating an ever-changing birdscape. Plus a checklist ordered by Britain's most common birds and our migrants' early/late dates.