RSPB Guide to Birdsong

by Adrian Thomas

Overview

The first ever RSPB-endorsed audio and print guide to enjoying and understanding the birdsong of Britain's best known bird species.

Birdsong is one of the greatest and most accessible wildlife pleasures that people can experience, even in urban areas. This brand new book and accompanying CD will help people identify a range of common and charismatic British birds by sound

Birdsong is one of the most powerful means of connecting people with nature. Wild sounds in nature have the power to lift people's spirits; they have inspired poets and composers and can evoke time, place and season. Wild sounds can also carry powerful conservation messages—the reduction in birdsong in our countryside is a potent signal and a symbol of the loss of nature.

The reality, however, is that many people don't understand or recognize what they are listening to in nature. This beautiful, full-color book and narrated CD of brand new recordings will help people to learn about the sounds and calls of the commonest birds in Britain, and reveal when and why birds make these sounds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472955876
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	06/04/2019
Series:	RSPB
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Adrian Thomas is a lifelong birdwatcher and naturalist, and has worked at the RSPB for nineteen years in a wide variety of roles. After contributing for many years to BirdWatching magazine, his writing now regularly features in Nature's Home and Garden Answers and has also appeared in a range of other magazines. He is the author of three books: RSPB Gardening for Wildlife (Bloomsbury, 2010), winner of the national Garden Media Guild award; The Birds of Sussex (BTO, 2014); and Best Birdwatching Sites in Sussex (Buckingham Press, 2003).

Table of Contents

Part 1: An Introduction to Bird Songs and Calls

Introduction

How to use this guide

What is sound?

How do birds make noises?

Types of bird sound

How to describe bird sounds

Reading sonograms

What sounds to expect: Where and when?

What to expect: Habitats

Putting it all together

Turning it into learning

Part 2: Guide to Common Bird Songs and Calls

Towns and villages

Woods and copses

Upland woodland

Farmland

Reedbeds and marshes

Part 3: Reference Guide

How to Record Bird Sounds

Glossary

References

Acknowledgements

Sound Credits

Photo Credits

Track List

Index

Editorial Reviews

Adrian's knowledge of the science and majesty of birdsong resonates from every page as he tells how to recognise the vocalisations of 250 species, opening a new dimension of birdwatching to novice and expert.” —Stuart Winter, Sunday Express

“Adrian's descriptions of the sounds are excellent - far closer to the real thing and easier to remember than most field guides manage - but his own sonograms are a useful extra touch, and of course the CD (...) adds a very valuable extra dimension.” —Matt Merritt, Bird Watching

“Thomas's enthusiasm for his subject, as well as the sheer depth of his passionate knowledge, really shines through on every page.” —The Reviewer, English Garden

“It's easy to read, clearly illustrated and as someone with no musical knowledge makes essential reading.” —James Lidster, Birdwatch

“It contains the clearest descriptions I have read for understanding pitch, timbre, harmonics and overtones and for anyone struggling to learn bird calls and songs it's a great introduction and I suspect for many it might just be the book they need.” —James Lidster, Birdwatch

From the Publisher