A Bird a Day

This is a beautifully illustrated and very enjoyable book by well-known author and naturalist Dominic Couzens. The title says it all - the book goes through a calendar year showcasing 366 (it accounts for a Leap Year) species of birds from all across the world representing a dazzling array of birds from a similar range of habitats.

Birds are featured at a relevant time of year - Snowy Owls are discussed in the depths of January, perhaps more familiar species like Great-crested Grebes and their courtship rituals feature in late March, and on the very day the book arrived I opened it to that date to find an account about the Redwing - birds I could see on the holly berries in the garden! I found this mix of the familiar and the exotic a nice touch. It’s always nice to get to know your local bird life a little better but also to think, as I sit looking out at a dark November evening, that on the other side of the world King Penguins are just settling down to breed. There are cultural references galore - the year starts discussing the mythology surrounding Red-crowned Cranes in Japan and approaching the year end the book celebrates that most festive of birds - the European Robin on Christmas Day. 

The illustrations are eye-catching and a really nice mix of razor sharp photos, beautiful illustrations from centuries-old books, images of nests or eggs, and even some amusing modern day references to ‘Woody Woodpecker’ (Acorn Woodpecker) and of course the Greater Roadrunner (meep meep!). It’s not all whimsical and pleasant though - modern conservation concerns are covered and dealt with, as is Man’s exploitation of birds. Just look to 9th September and the account of Ortolan Bunting. The image used says it all…

Species account are short, but for me this adds to the appeal. This is a book you’ll find yourself dipping in and out of, rather than necessarily sitting down and reading. As such it is a perfect book to have close to hand somewhere about the house, so you could grab it and find out about the current day’s bird and almost certainly be drawn into a couple of other accounts. This is a book that will appeal to birders and non-birders alike, and I’ve really enjoyed leafing through it, getting to know a little bit more about birds from sub-Saharan Africa, soaring over high Andean peaks, or lurking in the bottom of the garden. I’m hoping I’ll find this in my stocking on Christmas (or European Robin?) Day.

Book reviewed by Steve Willis