The Birds of London

This traditional avifauna documents all 369 species ever recorded in London and its environs, a 20-mile (32-km) radius from St Paul’s Cathedral. This reporting area, used by London Natural History Society, includes Greater London and considerable areas of Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. Thus a much wider range of habitats are covered than might be expected in the city, including farmland and numerous reservoirs and wetland sites at former gravel pits in these surrounding counties.

Photographs, confined to a 32-page section, include key habitats and notable recent birds. The species texts, sourced from London Bird Reports, are divided into historical (pre-1900), 20^th and 21^th century. This works well for rarer birds and the   accounts are detailed and interestingly written, although coverage of surrounding counties may not be comprehensive. For common species, distribution maps, population estimates and trends would have been valuable. We will have to wait for the forthcoming London Atlas for these.       

Book reviewed by Linda Smith