At the start of the new decade, Ornis Svecia is now entering its 30th year as an ornithological journal. It is a year of change for the journal, perhaps most evident in the transition that started last year with Ornis Svecicamoving from a printed journal to an online journal (Stervander & Svensson 2019). Being digital is a necessary step in today’s publishing landscape and we are happy that we alongside this change also publish all papers as open access, making research available for everyone that is interested. Another major change is that Professor Sören Svensson is stepping down after 29 years as Editor-in-Chief. His role for Ornis Svecica – and indeed for BirdLife Sweden and Swedish ornithology at large – has been profound. During this time the field of ornithology has both widened and specialized. The toolbox of the modern ornithologist now includes molecular biology techniques, advanced miniaturized telemetry loggers, and large-scale weather radar data. But ornithology is still at heart based on careful observation of the natural world, through surveys, ringing and migration studies. The editorial board wishes to express heartfelt thanks to Sören, for his significant efforts.