Harper Collins Collins Nature Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe
Reviews
Views
Date of last review
1
872
Sat 29, December, 2007
Recommended By
Average Purchase Price
100% of reviewers
£0.50
Quality
Value
Performance
7.00
10.00
9.00
Description:
This new full colour photographic guide to over 310 species of bird found in Britain and Europe and arranges birds by size for easy identification
• Each species is illustrated with its own colour photograph
• Individual descriptions include facts on appearance, flight, voice/song, habitat, food and breeding
• Additional helpful illustrations show flight patterns, different plumages and bird silhouettes
• Distribution maps for the whole of Europe are provided for each species
Author:
J. Nicolai, Detlef Singer and K. Wothe
RRP:
£9.99
Published Date:
31.05.94
ISBN:
0-00-219995-5
Format
Paperback Hardback
Author
wyevilla Officer of the Wild Empire
Registered: January 2007 Location: Dorchester, Dorset Posts: 513
Review Date: Sat 29, December, 2007
Would you recommend it? Yes |
Total Spent: £0.50| Rating: 9
Strengths:
Light and easily transportable. a good reminder of the range of species that might be encountered.
Weaknesses:
Pictures not always clear or particularly helpful.
This is a useful reference to those who are starting to notice birds for the first time - whether it be in the garden, town center or more obviously rural environments.
For the casual observer this guide may well help in the identification of an unfamiliar bird; or point the way to a more detailed work. However, it would be well to remember the title of this little book continues "... in Britain and Europe" so the British reader will need to be prepared for some anomalies which can trap the unwary into the (mis)identification of a rare vagrant. However, for the traveler on the continent it may well fulfill its stated aim.
I also have some reservations about the selection of photographs. No picture of the females of the chaffinch or blackbird for example (two birds that have marked sexual dimorphism) and only one shot of a starling which changes quite noticeably from immature to adult and again through the seasons.
However, other birds with marked seasonal variation fare better such as the ptarmigan and snow bunting.
Overall then, I see this book as a guide leading to a gentle transition from novice to interested amateur. But, with its limited scope, very soon it feels quaint and slightly out of place on the book shelf to be replaced by weightier and more informative tomes.
You might wonder how i obtained this so cheaply. I have to admit it was bought second hand. Not sure I would pay full price but a useful addition to the book-shelf none the less.
------------------------------ Best wishes, Neil
Who's Afear'd
