It has to be something unexpectedly good to prompt me to rave to other birdwatchers about a new book, but I recently got a copy of The Sound Approach to birding.
I knew that a group of birdwatchers (led by Mark Constantine) were hard at work on bird sounds, but I didn’t know how, when or even if the results would be published.
So it came as a bit of a surprise to find this gleaming new hardback with its two integral CD’s available at the Rutland Water Bird Fair (the cost is £29.95 – for more details its probably best to visit www.lush.co.uk).
This being bird sounds I (wrongly) expected the words to be secondary to the sounds on the CDs. But it’s written in an engaging anecdotal style which catches your interest and makes this sometimes difficult subject very accessible.
I rate it as worth the £29.95 purchase price for either the text or the CDs, but as you get both for your money I reckon it’s a bit of a bargain.
However I should stress that this is not a beginners guide to bird sounds, nor is it a comprehensive guide to British or European bird sounds. The recordings feature nearly 200 species, and include some tricky and lesser known birds, like Booted and Syke’s Warblers, and Richard’s, Tawny and Blyth’s Pipits.
For anyone who’s got a reasonable amount of birdwatching experience and wants to learn a bit more about bird sounds this is a great buy.
What it definitely will do is re-energise your interest in bird sounds and make you think and listen just that bit harder next time you’re out in the field.
I knew that a group of birdwatchers (led by Mark Constantine) were hard at work on bird sounds, but I didn’t know how, when or even if the results would be published.
So it came as a bit of a surprise to find this gleaming new hardback with its two integral CD’s available at the Rutland Water Bird Fair (the cost is £29.95 – for more details its probably best to visit www.lush.co.uk).
This being bird sounds I (wrongly) expected the words to be secondary to the sounds on the CDs. But it’s written in an engaging anecdotal style which catches your interest and makes this sometimes difficult subject very accessible.
I rate it as worth the £29.95 purchase price for either the text or the CDs, but as you get both for your money I reckon it’s a bit of a bargain.
However I should stress that this is not a beginners guide to bird sounds, nor is it a comprehensive guide to British or European bird sounds. The recordings feature nearly 200 species, and include some tricky and lesser known birds, like Booted and Syke’s Warblers, and Richard’s, Tawny and Blyth’s Pipits.
For anyone who’s got a reasonable amount of birdwatching experience and wants to learn a bit more about bird sounds this is a great buy.
What it definitely will do is re-energise your interest in bird sounds and make you think and listen just that bit harder next time you’re out in the field.
