Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!rpi!uupsi!sunic!tut!ra!misan From: misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Birding in Southwest England and Ireland Message-ID: Date: 27 Jul 90 10:17:48 GMT References: <36067@vrdxhq.verdix.com> <107582@kean.ucs.mun.ca> Sender: misan@ra.abo.fi Organization: Abo Academy, Finland Lines: 51 In-reply-to: dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca's message of 25 Jul 90 09:30:12 GMT In article <107582@kean.ucs.mun.ca> dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca (David Graham) writes: > > 'The Shell Guide to the Birds of Britain' and Ireland by Ferguson-Lees, > > Willis and Sharrock 9.95 pounds. > This book is excellent, as Annika says, but personally I find the > colours rather washed out compared to most field guides. Good > descriptions and maps. Yes, the plates are a bit washed out, unfortunately. I think Willis tends to paint this way, the same goes for 'The Birds of the Middle East and North Africa'. > > or, if you prefer to have a book about the whole of Europe > > > > 'Hamlyn Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe' by Bruun, Delin and Svensson > > latest revised edition. 5.95 pounds. > > > I still swear by my old copy of 'The Birds of Britain and Europe with > North Africa and the Middle East', Heinzel, Fitter and Parslow. > Collins, 1979. The Peterson guide I find not as useful, though I used > it a lot and liked it before I got the Heinzel et al. I just received > (though can't remember ordering) a new photographic field guide called > 'Jim Flegg's Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe' > (photographs by Eric and David Hosking). New Holland, 1990. It looks > beautiful but of course will not interest those who are ideologically > opposed to photographic field guides! The photos are spectacular in > many cases. For Britain the Heinzel guide includes rather a lot of unneccessary species. Because of the large scope, the text about each species isn't very long. Also the book is rather old by now. I like the look of the plates though, they're nicely drawn (which doesn't neccessarily mean they are correct). The plates in the Hamlyn guide are much coarser, the birds don't look nice (except for the new ones by Zetterstroem). But the text is superior, it really includes much of the latest stuff about identification. But this only goes for the latest revised edition, the earlier editions aren't any better, in my opinion, than Heinzel. Heinzel is practical if you travel over the whole of Western Palearctic, not just Europe. I agree about Peterson, not my choise. I haven't had time to look at my copy of Jim Flegg's new book yet, but it doesn't include more than one photo of each species, so I'd say it's rather useless as a field guide, but useful as a companion to a field guide. If you want a good photo guide on European birds, have a look at Delin and Svensson 'The Birds of Britain and Europe'. The text is the same as in the Hamlyn guide, but there are photos of almost all ordinary plumages (2-5 photos of each species). Price 14.95 pounds. Annika Forsten, Abo Akademi, Finland misan@ra.abo.fi