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UK Field Guides (1 Viewer)

Last Year's Man

Active member
This must have been covered before, but I can't find the relevant thread, so would be interested to hear anyone's opinions:

When you go birding in the UK, which field guide do you always carry?

Do you use a 'Britain & Europe' Guide for UK trips, or does a comprehensive 'British List only' guide exist? I'm thinking of one that would include ultra-rare vagrants, but cut out the many hundreds of European/Middle Eastern species that have never been recorded here. Such a guide could presumably go into far more detail for an equivalent bulk/weight...

Thanks in advance for your response.
 
JohnnyH said:
The Collins Bird Guide, the best British/European field guide available.


Depends what your definition of Europe is though. To quote from the front of the Collins

"All bird species which breed or regularly occur in Europe, North Africa north of 30 N, and Israel, Palestine,Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, that is in a large part of the Middle East. Also included are the Canary islands, Madeira and the Sinai peninsula."

I'd say thats a British/European/North African/part of Middle East guide.

Pity they don't do a UK centred version which I think would solve some of the problems with the Collins ie small text/illustrations and crowding on the page.

Whilst the Collins has the best illustrations if at times crowded, (4 species per page is not unusual), take a look at the Kightley, Madge and Nurney "Pocket guide to the birds of Britain and North west europe" which I think is much better laid out and easier on the eye but the illustartions are not as good as the Collins. It carries 385 species as opposed to the 700+ of the Collins and I think its really good as a pocket guide much better than the Collins at least for the likes of me, a relative beginner.
 
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I hope that this doesn't sound too arrogant, but when birding in the UK I never carry round a field guide. So my first advice is that, as soon as you feel comfortable about it, leave the book back home/in the car! Pick up a notebook and if (when) you see something you can't ID make sketches/notes of what you see and identify it later from these resources. It is by far the best way to learn the birds. Realiistically, though, if you're just starting out then use the field guides to become familiar with the birds, but be prepared to let go of the apron strings! The only field guide that did what you wanted - i.e. cover all UK birds including vagrants (but without extralimital species of no account in the UK) is the old 'Shell Guide to the Birds of Britain & Ireland'. This had fairly good plates and covered all UKrarities in a section at the back of the book. A shame the format hasn't be revived as the book is no long out of print,

John
 
John Cantelo said:
I hope that this doesn't sound too arrogant, but when birding in the UK I never carry round a field guide. So my first advice is that, as soon as you feel comfortable about it, leave the book back home/in the car! Pick up a notebook and if (when) you see something you can't ID make sketches/notes of what you see and identify it later from these resources. It is by far the best way to learn the birds. Realiistically, though, if you're just starting out then use the field guides to become familiar with the birds, but be prepared to let go of the apron strings! The only field guide that did what you wanted - i.e. cover all UK birds including vagrants (but without extralimital species of no account in the UK) is the old 'Shell Guide to the Birds of Britain & Ireland'. This had fairly good plates and covered all UKrarities in a section at the back of the book. A shame the format hasn't be revived as the book is no long out of print,

John

I make very rough sketches and it does help, i think it was you john who told me too, i take my guide but hardly ever get it out, maybe if im in a hide i will, i got a couple of good lifers today with the notes and sketches, il probably still carry the guide though, i can flick through it if it rains and im tucked up in a hide somewhere. Mick
 
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