Richard, Steve C and Paul H.

Re your previous posts on the Birds in Cheshire and Wirral Atlas.

Just goes to show you how much opinions might vary between individuals on the forum!

In my humble opinion this is the best atlas type book that I have ever read. I actually
read every single word from cover to cover - admittedly over several months! The species accounts are clear and beautifully written, with most species write-ups having interesting snippets of info that can only help with your fieldcraft. To me it set a benchmark of what all future atlases must aspire to! I echo Steve Christmas's sentiments that if the proposed GM Breeding birds atlas (a few years away yet I'm afraid though!) can get anywhere near to this standard, then we will be doing very well indeed!

To me it was excellent value at full price and is an absolute bargain at half price!!

Keep atlasing!

Bill.

Hi Richard,
I'll PM you about this.
Steve

Richard,
www.liverpool-unipress.co.uk

4 Cambridge street liverpool.

0151 794 2233.

Heavy tome, and to be honest a bit disappointing.

good luck.

Keep Birding

FAO Steve Christmas

Can you let me know where to access the half-price Cheshire atlas offer?

Ian, you cannot postpone the yuletide reading matter

Pete excellent book you will enjoy it, perhaps it may give you the idea to year list in GM.

Ian your equally excellent tome will be superb Easter reading matter, to be enjoyed with your egg.


Keep reading.



ps anyone who is thinking of buying The running sky please PM me.

Pete Astles wrote:

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Just got my xmas day reading sorted -

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I have postponed my own until April next year (hopefully), Reed and Bush Warblers by Peter Kennerley and David Pearson (with artwork by Brian Small). The definative treatment of Urosphena, Cettia, Bradypterus, Locustella, Acrocephalus and Hippolais and my kind of reading.

Just got my xmas day reading sorted - Arrivals and Rivals search for the winning bird got it new off ebay for about £6.

Paul Heaton wrote:

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Top 100 places in the world .

mega size book £35 new, but the Works in Altringham have 2 copies left at £6.99.

keep birding

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I snapped up their last copy the other day. Thanks for the tip-off Paul. What a bargain for a wonderful book!

'Birds in Cheshire and Wirrall, a breeding and wintering atlas' by David Norman (2008) is currently available half price (£22.50) from Liverpool University Press. It would be great if the proposed GM atlas is as comprehensive as this.
P.S. I declare I have no financial interest in this book.

I recall the first edition having a few problems, the index proving to be a nightmare, loads of stuff missing, and they had to be recalled as for 2nd edition, wildsounds newsletter says,

AS FOR REVISION EXPECT MUCH CONTROVERSY.WILL BE USEFUL AS A YULETIDE GAME OF FIND THE DIVERS?

I assume things are missing, lets wait and see!

Keep birding

Recieved this e-mail regarding the new Collins today

"Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below was changed by the supplier, and we need to provide you with a new estimated delivery date based on the new release date:

Lars Svensson (Author), et al "Collins Bird Guide"
Estimated arrival date: January 13 2010 - January 15 2010 "

I have just added two new tomes to the 200 Club library,

RARE BIRDS WHERE AND WHEN BY RUSSELL SLACK. VOL 1

BIRDS NEW TO NORFOLK KEITH DYE MICK FISZER PETER ALLARD.

Excellent books, cannot wait for Vol 2 of rare birds.


Keep birding

John Rayner wrote:

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Nik Grounds wrote:

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Paul Heaton wrote:

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Collins due out very soon.



I'd heard that Collins Bird Guide: Birds of Britain and Europe 2nd edition had been delayed again. Rumours of backstage 'difficulties' over artwork.

The Birding World 'Books for Birders' catalogue now gives a date of Jan 2010 for the softback version.

Cheers, John

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Collins Bird Guide: Birds of Britain and Europe 2nd edition Hardback now showing on WHSmiths website as being released on 26/11/09 £16.25. Paperback 07/01/10 £11.69.

Wait and see I suppose.

Paul Heaton wrote:

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Gentlemen please, I have a very tender disposition.

My all means start a recipe thread on another website, but please spare me the gory details.

still finding The Running Sky hard work !

keep birding

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Aah, such a shame we can't have a recipe thread......I was just about to reveal the secret ingredients in my tasty home-made Parrot and Coriander soup!

Cheers,

Bill

just to please Paul...

I've tried Ostrich but found it just too lean, you cannot beat a bit of fat running through your meat. Pheasant happens to be a huge favourite of mine and replaces Turkey over Christmas for us (other than the Indian we're booked in for on Christmas Day this year).

As for other species I'll eat 'em all. Partridge, Duck (another ex-Christmas Day meal for us), Snipe, Woodcock, Mute Swan, Goose (vagrant hutchinsii Canada Goose please, rather that than identify the buggers), Ortolan Bunting, Blue Tit, Pallas's Reed Bunting, Pacific Swift... bring 'em on.

Now how close was that Great Northern Diver at Hollingworth coming to the shoreline...

Gentlemen please, I have a very tender disposition.

My all means start a recipe thread on another website, but please spare me the gory details.

still finding The Running Sky hard work !

keep birding

Ostrich steak is very tastey - similar to Reindeer !

Reading 'The Running Sky' at the moment. I was initially put off, not by the Woodcock by which time the book improved no end (I'm sure it was as delicious as Snipe!), but by his purple prose in the opening chapter. You just want the guy to stop straining for the next exotic simile before the ink is dry on the last one. Persevere though and the book is richly rewarding.

That gives me an idea - think I might start a recipe thread!

As the Art of New Naturalists is new out, not heard any news of a paperback edition yet, it is priced at £60 but Amazon are selling it at £35.

Glad you enjoyed Birdscape interesting slant on birding.

keep Birding

ART of the New Naturalists - Peter Marren.

Do you know if this is available in paperback? Looks fascinating. There's an exhibition of a lot of the artwork at the Pinkfoot Gallery in Cley (google it) and an excellent downloadable catalogue.

Finally finished "Birdscapes", a most entertaining meander around the subject of why we like birds - with a name-check for Hilda Quick to boot!

I am afraid I have had to abandon The Running Sky by Tim Dee, I am sure it,s a good read, however I was very put off by page 27 and the graphic details he recalls of EATING Woodcock, bit to gruesome for me

Then in the September Chapter he recalls two trips to Fair Isle then I he says..
I pretty much gave up birding for ten years!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whats that about? Apparently he was interested in reading and human politics while living in Budapest and London.

I much prefer ART of the New Naturalists Peter Marren Robert Gillmor. a mega Tome giving the full history of the famous covers on the New Nat series.

never give up.

KEEP BIRDING

Just picked up from the works in Bolton a great book for 9.99 should have been 25.00
Bird. The ultimate illustrated guide to the birds of Britain and Europe
By peter hayman and Rob Hume.

Its a hardback big size. As a result it contains lots of drawings and photograph for each bird and a bit of biography on each bird. In some instances its better than collins for ID purposes

Andy, nice choice...however the old book thread might have been best, two classic books, have them both and agree excellent read.

To compliment Simon Barnes book try Minsmere portrait of a reserve Herbert Axell and Eric Hosking.

Keep reading

Was about to start my own thread on book recommendations when I saw this one. Now that the dark nights are here again, it's time to settle down with a hot book and a good drink (or something like that). I have three to commend, but I can see that 'A Bird in the Bush' by Stephen Moss has already been done, so here's my other two.

'Flying in the Face of Nature' - Simon Barnes. This predates his 'Bad birdwatcher'

books and is far superior to either of those. I don't think we have a more outspoken

voice for conservation at the moment, and he is certainly on song with his points of

view in this book. It is subtitled 'A Year in Minsmere Bird Reserve', but this does not

restrict the range of his deliberations on birds, birdwatching and natures place in a

modern world.

The second is simply streets ahead of anything else I've read which has had birds as

its main theme. 'A Curlew in the foreground' by Philip Coxon is just a magic book

which transports you to the island of North Uist. It tells of the growing pains of the

fledgling RSPB as they try to set up a reserve on the island. It's all here, the birds,

the people, the atmosphere of the island, and told in a such a way as to make you

want to visit Uist youself (which I did after reading this). Some of the situations that

arose and the characters the writer (who was the warden) met on the Island are

hilarious yet poignant.

If you do read this book (or already have), please let me know what you think.


Cheers,

Andy

Cheers Geoff, not really a telegraph reader, but this book looks good.

will attempt to purchase a copy myself for the 200 club library.


keep Birding

Just ordered a book to be Published on the 24th

The Running Sky. by Tim Dee pub Jonathan Cape £16.99.

Best deal I found is W H Smith online £10.87 HB - PP free if collect at the local store. Better than Amazon PB after postage.

Anyone read the extract in last Sats. telegraph?

Top 100 places in the world .

mega size book £35 new, but the Works in Altringham have 2 copies left at £6.99.

keep birding

SHOREBIRDS of the Northern Hemisphere by Richard Chandler.

you can never have enough bird books especially on waders.

keep birding

Just finished Birdscapes an excellent book a must for the long cold winter evenings.

keep birding

BIRDSCAPES by Jeremy Mynott

Following the theme of wing beats, this is a book about the experience of birding and birds.

Keep Birding.

WING BEATS BRITISH BIRDS IN HAIKU
John Barlow & Matthew Paul

Quite simply unique,you will not find this on Amazon nor Waterstones, it is a rare book indeed.

It is described as a field guide to the experience of birds, rather than identification, perhaps a level of birding, not sort after by most.

It is a collection of poems in the deep tradition of HAIKU. if you need to google that you may not be interested in this book.

Available through www.snapshotpress.co.uk £15.99 incl p&p.
or check it out on www.wingbeats.co.uk.


keep birding.

I received this by e-mail on 6th June.

"Dear Customer,

Greetings from Amazon.co.uk.

Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below was changed by the supplier, and we need to provide you with a new estimated delivery date based on the new release date:

Lars Svensson (Author), et al "Collins Bird Guide" [Hardcover]
Estimated arrival date: September 07 2009 - September 12 2009 "

Paul Heaton wrote:

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Collins due out very soon.

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Paperback version was apparently published 28th May according to Waterstones.
Amazon UK states 3rd Sept for Hardback.

Yes good price, but not a new book, I believe we have a thread for them as well.

Collins due out very soon.

keep birding

I managed to get a first edition copy of "Wild America" from Abebooks for about a fiver - well worth it.

Nev Wright wrote:

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Anyone know when the new Collins Guide is out??

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Showing as available to pre-order on Amazon, Waterstones, Play etc. Different sites have different publication dates though.

WILD AMERICA The Record of a 30,00-Mile Journey around the Continent by Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher

Superb read, well worth tracking down.

It has taken some getting but finally got Life List by Olivia Gentile, the biography of Phoebe Snetsinger, excellent read and the author has even read Birders by Mark Cocker, which is a must for all birders.

Not quite birds these ones but Dave Winnard mentioned them on his furry and flowery website, The new Collins complete guide to flowers and then Butterflies, same format as the bird one, nice books.


Also helped someone sell some old New Naturalist a few weeks ago they netted a couple of hundred quid, you never know what on your shelves.

keep birding.

Birds of North America. Not been over there and not intending a visit in the near future, but the birds of North America have always interested me, particularly as I tend to come across one or two species each year from the other side of the pond.

This year I bought the main three field guides for the region, Sibleys The North American Field Guide, the Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America and the new Peterson Field Guide to Bords of North America. Yes you may think me mad, but I managed to find them all online for bargain prices, so was worth it.

Peterson's is a very well revised book, with some updated plates and new distribution maps. The plates however, are still similar to earlier additions and do not represent as many plumages for all species that more modern styled guides now have. Peterson's does however have wonderfully updated distribution atlas's, which are much more up to date than the other two, taking into account issues up to the last few years. These are found in the rear of the book and are larger and more clear than those found in most feield guides. It is overall an excellent book and this latest edition is an improvement from previous ones.

Sibley's book has been at the top of the tree since it was first published in 2000, an excellent read and brought about new structures for field guides, which I think have been used by others since, making it very easy to use. What is lacks in text can be seen in the many different pictures of each species, which allows readers the chance to pick out distinguishing features more easily than other guides. The book must be due an update at some point, although the seperate East and West have been published since and probably offer better use for field visits, as it is quite a large book. If you are looking to clinch a North American species and want to know the ones it could be, this book is certainly worth getting hold of, although if a new edition is due it may be worth holding back for. Still the best field guide for North America in my view.

Finally, if photographs are your thing then this little gem of a book is worth getting hold of. It obviously has the constraints that all photo-guides have, with differences in light and not all species showing different sexes, plumages etc, but this is to be expected. It does, however, give you a chance to familiarise yourself with how many of the birds of North America actually look if you were to see them in the field, a little ruffled or just perched on a wall etc etc. Foe the money you get some good background information on North America, its birds and the birsd to be found in each habitat, which is more than other guides. Like Sibley's it gives you a little intro to each group of similar groups/families/genus etc, which is useful to the beginer. But it's value comes from the addition of a CD with bird song for most of the species in North America, which would prove invaluable for a visit, an may prove very valuable for me if I come across a new species from over there on my local patch and it decides to call, I have them all on my ipod now!?

Anyway, could go on and on, but if you are going over there I'm sure you would want one of these, and even if you are not going over there it never harms to have an armchair/toilet book with some exciting birds which you can dream of finding one day!?

Not a new book, but I bought a copy of Feathers - Identification for Bird Conservation last week (by Marian Cieslak & Boleslow Dul, 2006). I am currently doing some survey work around a proposed wind farm in Mid Wales and this book has proved invaluable in identifying feathers, especially Goshawk feathers from other similar looking ones. It takes you up a level from the Helm book 'Tracks and Signs of Britain & Europes Birds', which lacks certain species and is not as detailed for each.

Not seen a Goshawk on the site yet though, was hoping to get them displaying during surveys over April, but don't seem to be using the particular forest patch they used through the winter.

Have had some cracking views of others birsd there though including early hirundines, Redstart, Ravens a plenty and breeding Curlew. Am awaiting the influx of other Welsh specialities such as Pied FLycatcher and Wood Warblers, bring on May!?

I did apologise for the cock up not certain what I did wrong, sorry Tim!

Keep Birding

Tim,

apologies for re-posting and deleting your two most recent posts but Paul's had somehow cocked the thread up and it was necessary to put it on track again

On the 23rd Feb 2009 Tim Wilcox posted:

Not a new bird book but not a truly old one either - hardback copies of 'Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Lancashire and North Merseyside' have been reduced to £8 at Martin Mere. Nice buy. Obviously it will be superseded in a few years but still very interesting especially on the subject of the origins of our 'dodgy'' ducks and geese. MM and other 'zoos' as it calls them are responsible for all the Barnacles, most of the Greylags, Mandarins and Gadwall in their region and presumably here too.

On the 24th April 2009 Tim Wilcox posted:

For anyone interested Reaktion Books www.reaktionbooks.co.uk have an offer on their highly praised Animal series of animal monographs which includes Crow, Duck, Swan, Falcon, Peacock, Parrot and Penguin with Pigeon and Owl to come in the autumn. If you buy 3 titles you get 20% off (about 10% by the time you've paid postage) and a free Penguin (or Shark) T-shirt. Offer ends April 30th. Owl, due Oct 2009 is by Desmond Morris.


Tim Wilcox

Not a new bird book but not a truly old one either - hardback copies of 'Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Lancashire and North Merseyside' have been reduced to £8 at Martin Mere. Nice buy. Obviously it will be superseded in a few years but still very interesting especially on the subject of the origins of our 'dodgy'' ducks and geese. MM and other 'zoos' as it calls them are responsible for all the Barnacles, most of the Greylags, Mandarins and Gadwall in their region and presumably here too.

Not exactly new, but Borders in Stockport are selling 'Bird-The Definitive Visual Guide' at the moment for £12.99. (rrp £30)
Hard back with over 1000 stunningly beautiful photographs it's definately worth looking at.

Link to a version of the book on amazon...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bird-Definitive-Visual-Birdlife-International/dp/1405306335/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234937817&sr=1-3

Anthony

I really have only just got the book and as I'm currently on shift at work and off birding well out of county straight from work tomorrow for 4 days, i havent had the pleasure of grilling it yet and I won't get the chance soon either. But, I don't buy many bird books, don't need 'em as I'd much rather get out birding instead but this one was a must buy, an essential purchase for me even though I didn't know or care who the artists were, Mark Brasil's credentials are well proven already and I have to say that I was most impressed by the list of artists involved with the plates, all top class. The species coverage, text and details looks superb and a recent review by Bryan Bland in Birding World unreservedly sang it's praises and that's a much more authorative recommendation than I could ever manage.

I'll probably only buy one bird book this year and this is it, and all I'll ever need

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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Field guide to the birds of East Asia by Mark Brazil- nuff said...

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Ian,

Seeing as you are the first person i know to own this new guide maybe you could give a brief review. I looked at it yesterday on Amazon and will probably be a good addition to my increasing library.

cheers
jason

Field guide to the birds of East Asia by Mark Brazil- nuff said...