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RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds: Second edition Paperback – Illustrated, 21 Aug. 2018
Simon Harrap (Author) See search results for this author |
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A compact, lightweight and informative guide to 215 of the UK's most common birds.
Featuring 950 colour illustrations and 215 up-to-date colour distribution maps, this new edition of RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds showcases 215 bird species regularly seen in the UK.
Each species is illustrated in all distinct plumage forms likely to be observed in the wild, and includes concise and succinct descriptions, with details on identification, calls and song, habitat, distribution and behaviour. Along with helpful distribution maps, the species accounts also feature confusion species, with their most important and easily noted differences described.
Portable and easy-to-use, RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds is the perfect guide for use in the field.
- Print length224 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBloomsbury Wildlife
- Publication date21 Aug. 2018
- Dimensions11.53 x 1.32 x 17.09 cm
- ISBN-101472962621
- ISBN-13978-1472962621
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Review
A sumptuous, classy book, with terrific illustrations of a carefully selected 174 species ― BBC Wildlife
An excellent book to buy as a present for beginner birdwatching friends or to keep in the car. ― Scottish Birds
An excellent beginner's guide. ― IBIS - The International Journal of Avian Science
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Product details
- Publisher : Bloomsbury Wildlife; 2nd edition (21 Aug. 2018)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1472962621
- ISBN-13 : 978-1472962621
- Dimensions : 11.53 x 1.32 x 17.09 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 1,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1 in Wild Birds
- 3 in Animal Sciences References
- 3 in Wildlife Gardening
- Customer reviews:
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2019
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By Diane s on 30 March 2019


The book itself is pocket sized and gives just the essential details about all of the birds that visit the UK throughout the year. It tells you what you need to do to spot birds, the equipment you need, how to spot birds, when you where you need to go and spot birds and general practical advice. The introduction won't take you more than half an hour to read and then you're ready to go.
5* book. I would recommend this book to all newbie and wannabe twitchers.
An older review below states that the book would be better if it contained drawings of under, my 2012 version does include wing illustrations.
A useful feature of the book are maps for each bird-type giving an indication to the distibution of species across the seasons - If I think I've seen a ring necked parakeet in the highlands of Scotland then I know I need to look again as the species is shown as being distributed in the SE of England.
Another helpful feature is a section for each bird on the "confusion of species" which again allows you to cross reference your finding.
The illustrations are beautiful and clear and the overall presentation, information and quality of this book has engaged me thoroughly.
Although I was drawn initially to more complex bird identifying books, I plumped on this one as a start off, after reading many reviews about the complexity of identifying birds. Such small differences in some instances, but I think I'm getting the hang of it although you do have to be quite close (several starlings landed, but I had to get closer than my window to clarify and what amazing detail they have, so subtle, but beautiful).
I like this as it's fairly simple. I like the little maps identifying where you're likely to see the birds (which helps limit your identification) I think anything more complicated might have blown my little head and put me off so really glad I purchased this.
Bird food and book at the ready......
seasonal variations in appearance, together with information including a description, population,
habitat, voice (I love the phonetic sonic approximations!) and "confusion species" (really helpful).
I'd never thought I'd become a twitcher but things are moving in that direction. Binoculars next!
As they go though, this book is quite light and will fit in a large coat pocket. The habitat maps are useful and the painted pictures of the birds are really excellent and show the birds much better than photographs found in some other guides.
There is also rather more information about the birds than is found on many bird identification web apps making the book a pleasure to browse through and explore from within a rainy tent or holiday cottage on on of those inevitable British holiday days that are rained off.
Also, of course, the book does not require internet access which often is not available out in the best of Britain's parks and remote wild lands.