WELCOME HUMPBACK SIGHTINGS IN SHETLAND HAVE INCREASED BUT USUALLY THEY’RE JUST PASSING THROUGH. Find out more on p46 Welcome.. . ith Shucksm ichard R There was a lot of excitement in the BBC Wildlife office when we heard from Shetlandbased naturalist and tour guide Brydon Thomason about the recent amazing encounters he and his colleagues Richard Shucksmith and Peter Hunter had with five humpback whales off the Scottish coast. We were close to our press deadline, with a lot of pages finished, but when we saw the superb pictures and read the account we had to pull out all the stops to make space and share the story (p46). The fact that the trio’s encounter later resulted in a first for Britain made it all the more thrilling. The second exciting event to occur in the preparation of this month’s issue was the arrival of the Blogger of the Year Award results from our independent judges. The worthy winner garnered the most votes from our panel of four for her informative and humorous blog about wildlife she observes at home and abroad. Her identity is revealed on p50. Sheena Harvey Editor sheena.harvey@immediate.co.uk Contributors NICK BAKER Naturalist and TV presenter Nick is thrilled by life’s minutiae. In his new column he discusses barnacles. “Never is the excitement as great as when the surprises are close to home,” he says. See p March 2017 GRAHAM APPLETON Writer Graham shares the joy of recapturing the sound of birdsong with his new hearing aids. He says, “The full richness of a robin’s song immediately brought a smile to my face.” See p HELEN PILCHER Helen had her preconceptions about earthworms smashed after spending time with a worm expert.“They’re not boring and brown,” she says.“Earthworms are the unsung superheroes of the animal kingdom.” See p GET YOUR DIGITAL COPY Buy a digital edition of BBC Wildlife Magazine for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, PC or Mac.Visit iTunes, the Google Play store, Amazon or www. zinio.com to find out more. THE BIG BOOK OF MAMMALS Discover the world’s most exciting animals in this fact-packed collectable from BBC Wildlife, revealing everything from the fastest to the fiercest and the brilliant to the bizarre. Only £7.99+P&P (P&P is free for UK subscribers). www.buysubscriptions.com/mammals CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE Find breaking news, fascinating facts and amazing photos: www.discoverwildlife.com Get in touch EDITORIAL Te l 0117 314 7366 Email wildlifemagazine@immediate.co.uk Post BBC Wildlife Magazine, Immediate Media Company, 2nd Floor, Tower House, Fair fax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BACK ISSUES Te l 0844 844 0251/+44 1795 414500 Email wildlife@servicehelpline.co.uk Post BBC Wildlife Magazine, FREEPOST LON16059, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8DF Subscriptions UK £51.87; Republic of Ireland £49; Europe £49; Rest of World £54 OTHER CONTACTS App support immediateapps@ servicehelpline.co.uk Ads Sophie Mills-Thomas 0117 314 8816; sophie.mills-thomas@immediate.co.uk Syndication Emma Brunt 0117 314 8782; emma.brunt@immediate.co.uk FACEBOOK AND TWITTER facebook.com/wildlifemagazine twitter.com/WildlifeMag Immediate Media Company Bristol is working to ensure that all of its paper is sourced from well-managed forests.This magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. This magazine can be recycled, for use in newspapers and packaging. Please remove any gifts, samples or wrapping and dispose of it at your local collection point. Jan–Dec 15 total 35,934 Apr 14–Mar 15 241,000 ON THE COVER: Jackal: Janez Tarman; warbler: Andy Rouse/2020VISION/NPL; sloth: Suzi Eszterhas; sea stars: Audun Rikardsen BBC Wildlife 3