Book Reviews

Feathers: An Identification Guide to the Feathers of Western European Birds
Author: Cloé Fraigneau
Publisher: Helm, London
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9781472971722
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 400pp
Price: £54.99
The pattern and colouration of feathers provide valuable and often memorable clues to bird identification. Taken in isolation, however, feathers can be surprisingly hard to identify, particularly for those who do not have experience of birds in the hand. If you have even the slightest inclination to identify the feathers that you come across, this reference guide is a revelation – not to mention a thing of great beauty!
The book comprises eight chapters, including introductory... read more
Nick Moran

A Newsworthy Naturalist: the Life of William Yarrell
Author: Christine E. Jackson
Publisher: John Beaufoy Publishing, Oxford
Publication Year: 2022
ISBN: 9781913679040
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 228pp
Price: £25.00
Yarrell’s is a name that you have probably come across, if only through its association with the British race of White Wagtail – which we know as Pied Wagtail or Motacilla alba yarrellii. He is, however, a somewhat distant figure now, whose significant contributions to the study of birds (and fish) have largely been forgotten. Yarrell’s A History of British Fishes and A History of British Birds, published in the 1830s and 1840s respectively, were the main reference... read more
Mike Toms

The Role of Birds in World War Two: How Ornithology Helped to Win the War
Author: Nicholas Milton
Publisher: Pen & Sword History, Barnsley
Publication Year: 2022
ISBN: 9781526794147
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 224pp
Price: £25.00
Stories such as War Horse have brought the history of animals in warfare into the public consciousness. Their significant contribution was formally recognised in 1943 through the creation of the PDSA Dickin Medal awarded for gallantry and devotion to duty, and the important role played by birds in World War Two is clear from the fact that pigeons are the most numerous recipients.
You would be forgiven for thinking this will be a book about messenger pigeons. Whilst... read more
Lesley Hindley

Short-eared Owls
Author: Bryan Benn
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9781838480004
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 432pp
Price: £35.00
This book is a remarkable achievement. It describes one man’s study of Short-eared Owls over 10 years across different parts of Britain. While the main strengths of the book are those personal observations supported by a collection of stunning photographs (again the work of one man), Bryan Benn has put these into context in a series of carefully thought out chapters. Subjects covered include appearance, habitats, behaviour (including breeding, hunting and social), movements, voice and... read more
John Calladine

The Wryneck: Biology, Behaviour, Conservation and Symbolism of Jynx torquilla
Author: Gerard Gorman
Publisher: Pelagic Publishing, Exeter
Publication Year: 2022
ISBN: 9781784272883
Binding: Softback
Page Count: 202pp
Price: £24.99
The Wryneck is one of our weirdest birds and it is hard to believe it really is a woodpecker. Gerard Gorman is a global authority on woodpeckers and combines the extensive literature with his knowledge of this species in this beautifully written and produced monograph. It is a worthy addition to his six previous books on the Picidae and the latest in the excellent Pelagic Monographs series.
Wryneck occur extensively across Northern Europe and Asia. They have been lost as a breeding... read more
Linda Smith, Woodpecker Network

Vagrancy in Birds
Author: Alexander Lees & James Gilroy
Publisher: Helm
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9781472964786
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 400pp
Price: £39.99
Avian vagrancy is a phenomenon that has fascinated natural historians for centuries. From Victorian collectors willing to spend fortunes on a rare specimen, to today’s high-octane bird-chasing ‘twitchers’, the enigma of vagrancy has become a source of obsession for countless birders worldwide.
The ‘twitching’ scene in Britain is well established with reports of large numbers gathering at the site of a rare bird often being reported in the mainstream press. However, this practice isn’... read more
Paul Stancliffe

Naturalized Parrots of the World
Author: Stephen Pruett-Jones (Ed.)
Publisher: Princeton University Press, Princeton & Oxford
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9780691204413
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 304pp
Price: £34.99
Parrots are among the most endangered birds globally, their populations threatened by habitat loss, trapping for the pet trade (both legal and illegal), and shooting, the latter predominantly centred on real or perceived threats to agriculture. Trapping for the pet trade has, ironically, both contributed to population declines within native ranges and seen parrots introduced to other geographical regions and habitats. Of the roughly 300 parrot species known to have been transported beyond... read more
Mike Toms

Birds of Lincolnshire
Author: Colin Casey, John Clarkson, Phil Espin & Phil Hyde
Publisher: Lincolnshire Bird Club
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9780953825721
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 240pp
Price: £44.99
The last comprehensive review of Lincolnshire’s birds was completed more than three decades ago, so this book will undoubtably serve as a timely and eagerly awaited update. Produced on behalf of Lincolnshire Bird Club, this book aims to document the status of every bird species that has occurred in the county and report on the changes concerning their population and distribution since the last publication. By this virtue it also serves to showcase Lincolnshire’s birdlife and habitats to... read more
David Norfolk

Birdpedia: A Brief Compendium of Avian Lore
Author: Christopher W. Leahy
Publisher: Princeton University Press, Princeton
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9780691209661
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 272pp
Price: £9.99
Birdpedia is an eclectic and entertaining read. It follows an A–Z format, taking the reader from ‘Abundance’ to ‘Zugenruhe’. Along the way, we learn about everything from ornithological pioneers and poetry, to bird evolution, physiology, taxonomy, behaviour, the many threats that have faced birds in the past and those they continue to face today.
The style is conversational, with a good dose of humour. Readers will find sections on ‘Air Conditioning (Do Birds Sweat?)’ and ‘... read more
Viola Ross-Smith

The Gull Next Door: A Portrait of a Misunderstood Bird
Author: Marianne Taylor
Publisher: Princeton University Press, Princeton
Publication Year: 2020
ISBN: 9780691208961
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 192pp
Price: £19.99
Early on in The Gull Next Door, author Marianne Taylor declares that she is “not a true, hardcore larophile”. Don’t be deceived though – she clearly knows her stuff about gulls, and her deep affection for these birds is apparent throughout this entertaining and expansive book. The Gull Next Door uses the author’s own experiences as jumping off points to cover everything from gull evolution and physiology to the biodiversity crisis. We begin in Hastings, with the author... read more
Viola Ross-Smith

Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other
Author: James Aldred
Publisher: Elliot & Thompson, London
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9781783966127
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 234pp
Price: £14.99
Award-winning documentary film-maker James Aldred spent the spring and summer of 2020 filming Goshawks in the New Forest, his childhood home. This book, presented in an extended diary form, catalogues the author’s time with the Goshawks and many of the Forest’s other inhabitants. The text is punchy, with short, sometimes staccato sentences and delivers a very personal take on these magnificent birds, and much else besides. The diary format means that the text jumps around a bit, presenting... read more
Mike Toms

Seabirds: The New Identification Guide
Author: Peter Harrison, Martin Perrow & Hans Larsson
Publisher: Lynx Edicions, Barcelona
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9788416728411
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 600pp
Price: £74.99
For many, seabirds are a bit of a mystery in that they occupy a world that for most is largely inaccessible. However, during the last couple of decades pelagic tours, both daily and for longer periods, have grown in popularity and have brought some of the world’s seabirds within reach, so a new identification guide to this amazing group of birds couldn’t have come at a better time.
Much has changed since Peter Harrison’s Seabirds: An Identification Guide was published back... read more
Paul Stancliffe

Bird: Exploring the Winged World
Author: Phaidon Editors, Jen Lobo & Katrina van Grouw (Editors)
Publisher: Phaidon Press, London
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9781838661403
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 352pp
Price: £39.95
This is the perfect coffee table book for when it’s so cold and wet that you’ve decided to postpone your birdwatching session: this rich visual survey of artworks will cure your ‘fomo’ on birds and museums.
From cave drawings to Egyptian sculptures to 17th-century Dutch paintings to the Twitter logo, this book encompasses a great overview in time which emphasizes the longevity of human admiration for birds, represented here in a wide range of techniques including fine art,... read more
Anna Dupont-Crabtree

The Birds of Wales/Adar Cymru
Author: Rhion Pritchard, Julian Hughes, Ian M. Spence, Bob Haycock, Anne Brenchley
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9781800859722
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 600pp
Price: £45.00
This impressive tome from the Welsh Ornithological Society is the third full avifauna for Wales, following 1994’s original Birds in Wales (Lovegrove, Williams & Williams) and a subsequent update volume, Birds in Wales 1992-2000 (Green). The new volume is the first to include data from the 21st century, during which rapid changes in the population status and distributions of many species have occurred, making it a particularly valuable addition to the ornithological... read more
Callum Macgregor

Beak, Tooth & Claw: Living with Predators in Britain
Author: Mary Colwell
Publisher: William Collins, London
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN: 9780008354763
Binding: Hardback
Page Count: 312pp
Price: £16.99
If you firmly believe that no fox should ever be shot or equally firmly believe that foxes should always be controlled then you may think that this is not a book for you. This is a book full of nuance. Mary Colwell explores predation by talking to people who are actively involved in land management and conservation. She encourages the reader to learn from people trying to face complex conservation challenges which don’t have simple solutions.
Beak, Tooth & Claw starts... read more
Graham Appleton
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