Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!ukc!axion!dumbo!jhiggott From: jhiggott@dumbo.axion.bt.co.uk (jeff higgott) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Birding in Southwest England and Ireland Message-ID: <1990Jul30.101522.14539@axion.bt.co.uk> Date: 30 Jul 90 10:15:22 GMT References: <36067@vrdxhq.verdix.com> <107582@kean.ucs.mun.ca> Sender: news@axion.bt.co.uk Reply-To: JHiggott@axion.bt.co.uk Organization: British Telecom Research Labs Lines: 97 In article <107582@kean.ucs.mun.ca>, dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca (David Graham) writes: |> In article , misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika |> Forsten DC) writes: |> > In article <36067@vrdxhq.verdix.com> edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com (Ed |> Matthews) writes: |> > |> >> I'm going to be spending two weeks in England and Ireland in September. |> >> Would really like some suggestions about where to go. |> > |> > The best site guide is 'Birdwatching in Britain' by Redman and Harrap. |> > I expect it will be available in Britain. The Natural History Book Service |> > (Devon) has it anyway. I agree here. This book is well worth getting. It gives sites, and directions as well as mentioning the birds that may be seen. Almost all the major/important sites seem to get a mention. |> |> Also worth mentioning: |> |> 1. 'Birdwatcher's Britain' ("the unique pocket guide to birdwatching |> walks"), ed. John Parslow (many contributors for different regions). |> Pan Books/Ordnance Survey, 1983. I apparently bought it for 4.95 |> pounds. Has about 25 pp. on the SW of England, with maps of walks, |> sites etc. 'Birdwatcher's Britain' is a nice book for the rambler with an interest in birds but the walks given don't really allow you to get the maximum number of birds for your time. |> |> 2. 'Where to Watch Birds in Devon and Cornwall', David Norman and Vic |> Tucker, ill. Peter Harrison. Croom Helm, 1984. I have found this book |> very useful indeed on trips to the SW. A good book with more detail on a smaaler area than Redman & Harrap. |> >> What are the standard field guides for England and Ireland? Can they be |> >> purchased in the US? |> > |> > I don't know which books the Brits use, but I think the best would be: |> > |> > '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. The Shell guide has its faults (lots of minor ones, including the colours) but not as many as any other field guide. It covers everything you are likely to seein Britain and Ireland, and several hundred you aren't, in a separate section on vagrants. |> |> > 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 prefer heinzel et al over Bruun et al although the latter has been greatly improved recently (including all new text). The new plates in Bruun et al by Delin still contain inaccuracies. They are both good guides though. |> > |> |> 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. Jim Flegg's photographic guide fairly poor (in my humble opinion), as almost any of the books in which Flegg gets involved are. The Hamlyn photographic guide is only slightly more expensive but has the same (useful) text as Bruun et al, far more useful photos, far more species, far more plumages etc etc. Flegg's guide really isn't all that bad, but it doesn't compare with the Hamlyn version. One major restriction of Flegg's guide is that they have only used the Hoshing's photos; The Hamlyn guide contains some of the best photos from a large number of photographers. * Jeff Higgott * * * "Under bridges, over bridges, to our destination" - HMHB (I am still thinking about the London sites.)