oncebittern
Steve Sheehan
Got the book from Amazon - only £10.19, and arrived Saturday. Well impressed.
Funnily enough, I've just posted a gull ID thread...
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Collins Bird Guide - to buy now, or to wait? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter oncebittern
- Start date
Got the book from Amazon - only £10.19, and arrived Saturday. Well impressed.
Funnily enough, I've just posted a gull ID thread...
John Cantelo
Well-known member
I agree that any improvements in this book will be a matter of degree rather than a wholesale revolution since there's relatively little that needs changing. That said when faced with really tricky species it's all in the detail. The current edition should allow an experienced observer to identify, given adequate views, 99% of species you're likely to encounter, but, of course, we'd all prefer 99.9%!
With regard to the Western Palearctic species missing from the book, I think that the "Balearic" Warbler is a better candidate than Tenerife Robin. This split from Mamora's Warbler is more widely recognised and seems to me to have better credentials than the robin. Doubtless a careful trawl through the book will turn up other new splits,
Great Knot is as near as left out, appearing as a little thumbnail in the back appendix. I guess, along with species that occur along the edges of the Western Palearctic, many extreme rarities are missing too. Hardly an issue though, the book still sets the standard.
If the new edition just sorts its gulls out, I'll be happy.
If the new edition just sorts its gulls out, I'll be happy.
StuartReeves
Local rarity
I've heard a rumour that the new version will also adopt a revised taxonomic sequence in place of the familiar Voous order. One of the main Indian fieldguides has done this which makes it harder to use in practice as it takes longer to find the relevant pages. Of course this rumour may have no basis in fact.
Stuart
Stuart
I can recommend the small post-it notes in various colours for sticking to the relevant start pages for the various groups.... I know they don't stay put for long but at a couple of quid for 100 post-its it's a small price to pay.
That way the taxonomic ordering doesn't matter.... you know that the yellow tab is for waders, the green for gulls and the red one for warblers etc. Let's face it other than those groups how often do you go to the guide?
That way the taxonomic ordering doesn't matter.... you know that the yellow tab is for waders, the green for gulls and the red one for warblers etc. Let's face it other than those groups how often do you go to the guide?
StuartReeves
Local rarity
If I'm in India, quite a lot!
colonelboris
Right way up again
I reckoned on 23 species split recognised by the BOURC TSC and AERC TC from Collins, but the new edition may well have others, depending on what athorities they use.
I wonder if they'll update the taxonomy of the Italian Sparrow in the new version.
colonelboris
Right way up again
Thinking about it, my copy is close to the end now, so I might colour the edges of the pages with felt-tip pen. Saying that, I've noticed that I can normally open it roughly the right area without thinking now. Too much time spent looking up birds outside or some sort of psychiatric condition...?
dantheman
Bah humbug
Sounds like you may be developing 'Degenerative Bird Brain', properly known as Avine Spongiform Encapatholphy (ASE)
It sounds bad, but it's actually a good thing
(Not to be confused with 'Avid Spongibirdforum Encepathology'. Now that one is nasty.... :eek!: )
colonelboris
Right way up again
Yes, a very nasty condition characterised by excessive twitching. A very rare (not scarce) disease that is so rare that merely scarce diseases are not allowed in the same textbook.
Saying about colouring in the edges of the pages, I just noticed my copy was so filthy that I wouldn't see the colours through the ingrained dirt. I must have done more birdwatching than I thought...
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A crap move if they do, already use names in many cases that most birders don't, so just screw the order up so it takes longer to find whatever species ...by which time the bird has probably flown away!
I've used the Indian guide and it's pain in the butt, field guides supposed to help in the field, not hinder!
Stuart, I was being extremely parochial, and as we were discussing the Collins wasn't thinking further that Europe. I stand corrected..... but you can get more colours in the post its...lol
Helsinki Birder
Stealth Birder
Many species are now regularly occuring in such a manner as to warrant proper treatment in the field guides.
The gulls have all ready been mentioned, caspian gull and yellow legged gull requiring full coverage (perhaps azorean yl gull deserving some treatment)
Most notable absentee from first addition for me is lesser scaup.with this just glossed over in the hybrids section.
Owen
The gulls have all ready been mentioned, caspian gull and yellow legged gull requiring full coverage (perhaps azorean yl gull deserving some treatment)
Most notable absentee from first addition for me is lesser scaup.with this just glossed over in the hybrids section.
Owen
colonelboris
Right way up again
Have a look at the top of p. 379... I don't get why it's only a "V**" and in the Vagrants section, when other "V***" American vagrants are in the main text.
John Cantelo
Well-known member
Having already appeared with birds featured in the conventional and familiar order, I can't see the publishers completely rejigging the new edition to accomodate the Sibley & Monroe sequence. (Incidentally the pros and cons of this are currently being debated in the thread on Mark Brazil's new field guide on the eastern palearctic).
"New species" deserving fuller treatment clearly fall in two categories - newly recognised splits (like all those damn gulls) and new or increasing vagrants. I'd agree that Lesser Scaup ought to be 'promoted' but in fairness to the authors back in 1999 (and more to the point during the long gestation of the guide) it wasn't nearly so frequent as now. My other wish is a full treatment of Ruppell's Vulture which, I'd suggest, is now one of the most regularly reported of the formerly extreme vagrants (albeit solely from Iberia). I'd also give a lower priority to American vagrants since they are well treated in several easily available guides. I see it's now being promised for June ..... so maybe it'll be (re)launched at the UK Bird fair in August!
"New species" deserving fuller treatment clearly fall in two categories - newly recognised splits (like all those damn gulls) and new or increasing vagrants. I'd agree that Lesser Scaup ought to be 'promoted' but in fairness to the authors back in 1999 (and more to the point during the long gestation of the guide) it wasn't nearly so frequent as now. My other wish is a full treatment of Ruppell's Vulture which, I'd suggest, is now one of the most regularly reported of the formerly extreme vagrants (albeit solely from Iberia). I'd also give a lower priority to American vagrants since they are well treated in several easily available guides. I see it's now being promised for June ..... so maybe it'll be (re)launched at the UK Bird fair in August!
dantheman
Bah humbug
So we assume there is no obvious European bird totally missing??
Presumably Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler will also not be depicted as a widespread Mediterranean resident lol
Agree, not sure we need the same level of information as for the birds in the main text.
Not a real gripe, but the two double pages of North American passerines always annoy me in the current Collins. I know they were done by a US artist (the better to accurately portay the species apparently), but the style and colouration is quite different and jars IMO. Most are not even that regular these days, eg American Redstart and Black-and-white Warbler.....
Maybe relegate them to one of the two back sections ....
Presumably Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler will also not be depicted as a widespread Mediterranean resident lol
Agree, not sure we need the same level of information as for the birds in the main text.
Not a real gripe, but the two double pages of North American passerines always annoy me in the current Collins. I know they were done by a US artist (the better to accurately portay the species apparently), but the style and colouration is quite different and jars IMO. Most are not even that regular these days, eg American Redstart and Black-and-white Warbler.....
Maybe relegate them to one of the two back sections ....
Thanks dantheman, you've made me very happy... I'm not the only one who thinks those two pages are cr@p.
Richard Klim
-------------------------
John, I'm 100% sure that no author of a future European/WP field guide would choose to follow the Sibley & Monroe sequence. It seems to be pretty well dead and buried, and probably won't be missed!
Richard
colonelboris
Right way up again
I agree about the pictures of the American vagrants, especially the Northern Parula and Indigo Bunting, although I guess the rest aren't too shabby. I'd guess it'd be nice to give a bit more room to the bitterns and egrets, even if it means adding a page or two.
Helsinki Birder
Stealth Birder
I actually always liked those plates! strangely enough!
Thought they brought a different flavour to the book.
To each his own I guess.
Owen
Thought they brought a different flavour to the book.
To each his own I guess.
Owen
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