Published by Whittles Publishing soft back price £30.00 Pages 400 This mammoth work allows you to see an island that is not just a sun trap but an island with so many endemics . With 5 million tourists a year many of which are British, the island should be on many folks radar for a visit. It may not have a great list of birds but the flora and great habitats should make up for it not forgetting the sunshine. It has the third largest volcano in the world along with an often deep coastline with some inspiring sea birds and cetaceans. From sandy desert features to a high mountain with also an existing Laurel Forest dating back 15 million years that once covered Southern Europe and the Mediterra
There has been so much information coming from satellite tagged Hen Harriers. Most of them have gone missing on Red Grouse moors presumed shot when no bird or transmitter can be been found. Birds dying of natural causes have been found with out any trouble suggesting birds that have been shot have been removed and the transmitters made redundant. Bowland Betty was a bird that had been shot but not killed. She later died of her wounds and was found. She previously had traveled several times to Scotland as far north as Caithness from Bowland only to die in Yorkshire near Colsterdale . Only a small fraction of Hen Harriers breeding in Britain can have transmitters fitted due to the cost of
Published by Princeton Hard Back 212 pages Price £18.95 This is a book written in one direction – to remove feral and domestic cats from the countryside for killing birds. There is no mention or cost of the present day role cats play in reducing rats and mice from an urban or rural countryside or the effect on secondary poisoning of cats and especially birds of prey by rat poison or the slow death it causes. It actually mentions the effect of Coyotes on cats in the USA but then somehow forgets it! This is surprising given the effect of this larger predator. The book goes to town on the diseases cats can bring to anyone who has cats as pets but does show the good effect on people like the red
Published by Princeton university press paperback Pages 448 Price £34.95 ISBN 9781400880706 Just to pick up this book is amazing in the fact that 946 species are represented in the book with 1500 colour photos to help you identify the species! There are pictures showing habitat and the descriptions of habitat and even elevation zones and you are still talking about only the western side of the country! It is a country on many a birder’s wish list but even then, you can see birds in the book that you have seen in USA making the point to protect species often needs to be a joint effect between nations. There are maps of distribution but how effective they are could only be gauged by someone th
By Rob Hume, Robert Still, Andy Swash, Hugh Harrop and David Tippling Soft back with plastic cover. Pages 560 Price £19.95 This series creates the ‘wow’ factor time and time again and this book is no different. It must go to the top of the tree [and they have not done a tree book yet!] for books on Britain’s Birds. It covers all the birds ever seen in Britain along with a few that may be escapes with 3200 photos of the highest quality giving you no reason to misidentify any species! It starts with an easy thumb nail for families and each family has a ‘starters’ section helping spot the key aspects to identify the species. A must for anyone who loves birds!
Published by Helm Field Guides for Bloomsbury Paper back 336 pages, Price £30.00 This is the follow up from the first edition that came out in 2009 and contains 630 species found in the region covering Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan. An amazing 15 artist took time to make the paintings of the birds. Borneo its self is bigger than Texas and is the third largest island behind New Guinea and Greenland the largest. The equator passes through the island causing it to be fully humid and effected by 2 different monsoons hence the tropical forests. There is a good section on the various habitats but sadly the picture of the palm oil plantations says it all especially when you see the map of t
Published New naturalists series William Collins Hard back £65.00 and Soft back £35.00 Pages 596 Here is a mammoth production in the New Naturalist series giving you the chance to read about 4 of our falcons. This combines the work of several books like Derek Ratcliffe’s Peregrine Falcon and Urban Peregrine by Drewitt, Kestrel by Village and Kestrels for Company by Riddle, The Hobby by Chapman and amazingly Richard’s own book the Merlin not long out. Certainly it is great to have all 4 species under one roof with lots of extra work thrown in from around the world. The pictures are a great addition but I was taken back by the lack of information especially on Kestrel where secondary poison is
Published by Bloomsbury hard back price £25.00 Pages 274 This is a real ‘coffee table’ book with inspiring pictures by Laurie Campbell following the TV series first shown in Scotland and now around the UK. The species covered are amazing showing that the area is wild in heart but most of it managed by man especially with livestock and over populated by Red Deer as well as burnt to crate little natural woodland. Where wildlife groups have purchased areas the wild is coming back naturally and helping to bring back species like Golden Eagle and Hen Harrier where they had previously been removed by shooting interests. It is very hard to work to a boundary and so coastal areas are also covered wi
Published by Birlinn Paperback, Price £12.99 Pages 252 How many folk would dare to do what Anne did and throw in everything at the age of 28 and go and live on a remote island! Luton cannot be that bad, can it! Anne was not even with a countryside background and certainly working in London can take the strain but to find an island just off Skye this was never going to last! Anne was certainly learning the hard way and the adventures of life were real if you were going to survive. Fortunately the island had some residents that made living there much easier and boats were always going to be a major part of life. This is a perfect read for those thinking of doing the same and for those dreaming
Published by Natureguides hard back PP150 Price £14.99 2016 What timing for this book to come out with the island having one of its best Autumn’s ever with myself enjoying several of the birds not to mention the island itself. I have always loved going birding here and never had a dull day except for the pirri-pirri [an invasive plant from New Zealand] which stopped my dogs walking one day as the seeds had stuck under their pads! The history alone makes the place worth a visit and it is described in the book along with the early birders that told everyone how good a spot it was. Never a dull day regardless of the weather but you have to make the low tide. If not check out the Lindisfarne Nat
Hardback and paperback published by Cannongate Pages 290 A book about the life of Amy from her youth in Orkney brought up on a farm to her desperate days in London drinking the place dry. Fortunately most of the book is based on her rehab back in Orkney especially with a chapter working with the RSPB Corncrake study and several on living in the RSPB house on Papay Westray in winter. There are flash backs to her past but these give reason to her present with her gaining knowledge in wildlife, the stars, local history and many other things like even GPS on here phone! This is may be not the book for die hard birder but I am sure your wife/husband or partner would love reading it and then maybe
