Britain's Birds: An Identification Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland

by Rob Hume, Robert Still, Andy Swash, Hugh Harrop, David Tipling

Overview

The only photographic guide to cover every bird, and every distinct plumage, ever recorded in Britain and Ireland

Britain's Birds will be enjoyed, valued and constantly referred to by all bird watchers—whether beginner, experienced or professional. This is the most comprehensive, up-to-date and practical bird book of modern times, featuring an unrivalled selection of photographs that show all the plumages you are likely to see. Focusing on identification, and containing maps, facts and figures on numbers and distributions, this breakthrough publication was devised by a team of lifelong birdwatchers, all with many years' experience of showing people birds and producing user-friendly field guides.

• Comprehensive coverage of every bird recorded in Britain and Ireland
• The only photographic guide to show all plumages likely to be encountered
• More than 3,200 superb colour photographs carefully selected to show key identification features
• Many photographs of individual rare birds identified in Britain and Ireland
• Simple steps to help you find and identify any bird you see
• Pages designed to allow easy and accurate comparison
• Latest information on status, population, distribution and conservation designations
• Distribution maps featuring summer, winter and resident ranges, plus details of migration routes to and from Britain and Ireland

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691158891
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Series:	WILDGuides of Britain & Europe , #19
Pages:	560
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Rob Hume, a freelance writer and editor for 35 years and editor of RSPB publications from 1983 to 2009, was Chairman of the British Birds Rarities Committee, and has led wildlife holidays in the UK, Europe and Africa. Robert Still, co-founder and publishing director of WILDGuides, is an ecologist and widely travelled naturalist. Working in computer graphics since their inception, he has developed a high level of expertise in digital imaging and designed many books. Andy Swash has been involved professionally in nature conservation since 1977 and is managing director of WILDGuides. A renowned photographer, he leads photographic tours worldwide, and has devised, co-authored and edited many books. Hugh Harrop founded the ecotourism business Shetland Wildlife and is one of Shetland's top birders and naturalists. His award-winning photographs have been published throughout Europe and North America. David Tipling, one of the world's most widely published wildlife photographers, is author or commissioned photographer for many books and writes regularly for leading wildlife and photographic magazines.

Table of Contents

Introduction 4
THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS 6
Wildfowl (swans, geese, ducks) 14
Cormorants, divers and grebes 70
Seabirds (Gannet, Fulmar, shearwaters, petrels) 86
Rare seabirds 98
Gulls and terns 102
Skuas 156
Auks (puffins, guillemots, Razorbill, murrelets) 165
Waders (plovers, sandpipers, curlews, godwits, snipe and related species) 173
Vagrant waders 221
Large waterside birds (herons, bitterns, egrets, ibis, Spoonbill, cranes, storks) 236
Bustards 252
Crakes and rails (includes Moorhen, coots, gallinules) 254
Pheasants, partridges, grouse and related species 263
Pigeons and doves 273
Sandgrouse 274
Owls and nightjars 281
Birds of prey
(eagles, kites, Osprey, buzzards, harriers, hawks, falcons and related species) 292
Kingfishers, cuckoos, Hoopoe, bee-eaters, Roller and parrot 326
Woodpeckers 333
Aerial feeders (swifts, swallows, martins) 338
Larks, pipits and wagtails 347
Dipper, Wren, accentors, oriole, starlings and waxwings 366
Thrushes, chats and wheatears 376
Warblers, cisticola and crests 403
Flycatchers 438
Tits, nuthatches and ‘creepers’ 443
Shrikes 456
Crows (includes Jay, Magpie, Nutcracker) 464
Sparrows and finches 474
Buntings 496
Vagrant landbirds from North America 510
Birds of uncertain origin and escapes/introductions 522
British & Irish Lists, status and legislation 524
Acknowledgements and photo credits 541
Index 552

Editorial Reviews

"This guide is head and shoulders above any other photo guide I have seen. . . . This is without doubt the best photo guide now on the market. . . . The ambitious scope of this guide and the high quality of its execution should ensure a wide audience."—-Andy Stoddart, Rare Bird Alert

"Sets a new benchmark in photographic field guides that will be hard to beat. . . . I recommend it to readers of Another Bird Blog as a book they must buy. My already well-thumbed copy is now in a safe but handy place for quick reference."—-Phil Slade, Another Bird Blog

"Packed to the brim with undoubtedly the most superb images you will see. . . . This is probably the most complete and comprehensive British Bird Guide I have seen for a number of years. It will no doubt be of interest to birders, regardless of experience or expertise and the authors have certainly set the standard for all future photographic guides."—-Paul Freestone, Cornwall Birding

"A work that should be on every birdwatcher's bookshelf or kept in a rucksack or pocket. . . . It will become an indispensable aid. . . . Open the book at any page and you are instantly blown away by the quality of the photographs for each species in virtually every plumage stage, be they seasonal, sexual or through ageing. . . . Test it out. Your birding will never be the same."—-Stuart Winter, Sunday Express

From the Publisher

"Britain's Birds is a wide-ranging identification guide to over 600 species of birds recorded in Britain and Ireland. . . . This work is a valuable identification guide to Britain's birds. It sets a high standard and provides a template for future guides."

Choice

"A whopping 3,200 color pictures leave no questions unanswered between the description and the photographs. These authors have figured out the best and easiest way to do the job, which is helping the reader to obtain the best way to identify any of the species of birds in Britain or Ireland."

Avian 101

"No British birder should be without it and sensible birders across the Channel, including those in Spain, will want a copy too."

Birding Cadiz Province

"This . . . brilliant field guide is the best now in print for anybody birding Britain or Ireland."

Towhee

"A complete identification guide masterpiece. . . . The quality of the images and the awesome presentation just took my breath away."

Shropshire Birder