As the Regional Rep for Yorkshire (Southwest) and Yorkshire (Southeast) for the last decade, one of my ‘go-to’ books of reference has been the Sheffield Bird Study Group’s Breeding Birds of the Sheffield Area. This new volume, celebrating the 50th anniversary of this very active bird club, not only brings the story of birds in Sheffield and its surrounding countryside up to date, but also expands the perspective of the earlier volume across the whole year, to the past and across all species that have ever been recorded in the region. The volume is more than just a list of species’ records, however. It includes fascinating discussions of historical birding in South Yorkshire, a history of the Sheffield Bird Study Group and its origins, discussions of the region’s habitats and changing birding expectations across the seasons and an introduction to ringing in the Sheffield area. 

A range of contributors have been involved in the writing of the discussion chapters and even more in the compilation of the species’ accounts. The style of writing is well maintained throughout the volume. There are some excellent photographs of birds and habitats to illustrate the text, and some fine illustrations for species rarely seen in the region. The structure of each species’ entry is concise and consistent, with a general statement about the species leading into a short history of the species’ records in the area, both before and after the Sheffield Bird Study Group was established. If relevant, this concludes with a short statement about the winter and passage characteristics of the species. These species’ discussions contain very interesting lists of past observations, as well as general statements about distributions. I felt a few of these entries could have been enhanced using input from wider BTO surveys, like the Wetland Bird Survey, beyond that provided directly by members of the Group, but this is a minor quibble. 

Overall, the volume will be a useful reference for all birders in the greater Sheffield region, and the general species’ summaries will be of interest to a much wider audience. However, I did find considering all species, no matter how rare or common they are in the region, a bit confusing, in that the reader does not have an immediate feeling for the degree of rarity of any individual species locally without reading the entry. The older Breeding Birds volume will still be my first reference for understanding a species’ local distribution or the likelihood of finding a species in a locality. Nevertheless, this is a great celebration of the considerable achievements of a very successful regional bird club and a welcome addition to my birding bookshelf.

Reviewed by

Grant Bigg

BTO Regional Representative, Yorkshire (Southwest) and Yorkshire (Southeast), and member of BTO Regional Network Committee