I seem to have found this thread rather late…
Anyway, I received my copy a couple of weeks ago and I’m certainly glad that I did. What’s the difference between £30 and £15 in the scheme of things anyway – 12 litres of diesel in the current climate
There are some real positives that will come out of this publication as it has raised the profile, or indeed will change our thinking, on many forms/species that can be identified by the acute observer over the next few years. I think this is one of those publications that may well grow in stature with time - we’ll look back on in x number of years and say ‘well, yes, that was raised in Martin Garner’s book way back in 2008’.
The five pages on White-cheeked Geese (Canada Geese) explain succinctly why we’ve been getting it wrong for the last 10 years i.e. whacking anything that’s not a classic hutchinsii (Arctic Goose) or interior into a western race such as parvipes or taverneri - these latter two forms shouldn’t have been turning up here with the regularity we’ve been recording them. Richard Millington’s ‘White-fronted Geese of four kinds’ is excellent and all us goose watchers will have a few more interesting races on our radar for winter 2008/2009. Steve Votier, Stuart Bearhop and Martin Collinson’s chapter on ‘forensic birding’ really is new stuff away from the scientific community and is well worth a read.
It was interesting to see little mention of gulls and nothing on American Sandwich Terns – an excellent article about the latter appeared in Dutch Birding a few issues back that was written by Martin himself.
What did annoy me though was the repetition from other journals/magazines. Stuart Rivers’ tales about bird finding on Barra and Martin’s Northern, American and Pacific Eiders – doesn’t anyone else here get Birding Scotland and has read these before? I would have been much more intrigued to hear Martin’s own bird finding tales (I’ve spoken to him for example about certain areas in County Mayo) and a little more on his predictions of Vatersay, Papa Stour and the Monachs. Additionally, people who subscribe to Birdwatch will be aware of Keith Vinnicombe’s ‘Category D vagrant’ thoughts anyway.
From a purely personal perspective as somebody who has an affinity with the emerald isle, I’d have liked to have seen some input from some of Martin’s friends the other side of the Irish Sea considering the amount of time and pioneering he spent over there e.g. Anthony McGeehan on identifying Inishbofin, tales from Rocky Point or the efforts of Tony Lancaster and Kieran Grace on the Firkeel/Dursey peninsular.
I think anyone who tries to conquer such a breadth of subjects should be congratulated, and yes, the publishers have evidently let Martin down, but for any keen birder this book should definitely be on their bookshelf. Look forward to the next one with passerine identification thoughts – Pine Siskins, Red Crossbills and the like.
Cheers and good birding
Rich
