The Bigg Bird Forum

[Strixaluco]

I have now compiled a list of most of our books on these topics:

Bird Guides

Collins Bird Guide - Britain and Europe (Killian Mullarney et al) - ISBN 0-00-711332-3

RSPB Pocket Birds (Jonathan Elphick, John Woodward) - ISBN 0-7513-3678-5

RSPB Guide to British Birds (Peter Holden) - ISBN 0-333-90751-5

Collins Complete British Birds (Paul Sterry) - ISBN 0-00-717229-X

RSPB Handbook of British Birds (Peter Holden and Tim Cleeves) - ISBN 0-7136-5713-8

RSPB Birds of Britain and Europe (Rob Hume) - ISBN 0-7513-1234-7

Collins Field Guide to nests, eggs and nestlings (Harrison and Castell) - ISBN 0-00-713039-2

Other books

The Blue Tit (Jim Flegg) - 0-85263-716-0 (A 24 page booklet from Shire Natural History)
British Tits (Christopher Perrrins) - ISBN 0 00 219537 2

RSPB Birdfeeder Handbook (Robert Burton) - ISBN 0-86318-428-6
(Seems to be out of print, with only a couple available on Amazon, but AbeBooks have quite a few).

Understanding Bird Behaviour (Stephen Moss) - ISBN 1-84330-151-2

The Secret Lives of Garden Birds (Dominic Couzens) - ISBN 0-7136-6616-1

Everything you always wanted to know about birds………but were afraid to ask! (Stephen Moss) - ISBN 0-7136-6815-6

All contributions to this thread will be very welcome!

[Kit]

Two of my favourites are:

Birds Brittanica by Mark Cocker and Richard Maby, ISBN 0701169079
(Not a bird ID guide, just a beautifully produced and illustrated book for bird lovers)

A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion by Simon Barnes, ISBN 1904977375
(Again, not a technical guide, just a amusing protraits of our garden birds)

[BIRDMATE]

Bill oddies little black bird book always a great read!!!

[Pete]

Not sure about photographic guides.

I'd add the Mitchell Beazley The New Birdwatcher's Pocket Guide to Britain and Europe by Hume and Hayman and the Pocket Guide to the Birds of Britain and Northwest Europe.

[joshjenkinsshaw]

this birding life, stephen moss

bill oddies gripping yarns

i love both these books , i couldn't put them down.

[Snowy]

Helm Identification Guides Birds Of The West Indies a must for anyone visiting the Caribbean. National Audubon Societies The Sibley Bird Guide for trips to the USA, & Something a bit diffrent Collecting Bird Stamps by Christine E. Jackson.
Snowy.

[Pete]

[Snowy]

[Pete]

[Esa]

Not sure how many books you have from this side of the pond. But Kingbird Highway is the Kenn Kaufman story. Cheap paperback, recommended.

[Corinna]

[Strixaluco]

I've just discovered that Peter suggested an excellent book back in 2005, long before this thread was started.

[Kev]

Another book well worth seeking out is .. "The Macmillan Field Guide to Bird Identification" by Keith Vinicombe , Alan Harris & the late Laurel Tucker (responsible for most of the artwork, she sadly died of a brain haemorrhage before completing the book) .. Alan Harris completing the artwork ..

Published in 1996 by The Macmillan Press Ltd .. ISBN 0-333-59280-8

This book follows the established Taxonomic "pattern" of most Field Guides .. i.e. it begins with "Divers" etc & ends with "Buntings" ... However, this is where the book differs from many of its kind .. in that it concentrates on "confusion" species ..

With good descriptive text, allied to stunning artwork .. (with hand written captions which highlight the "bullet" points) .. it makes short work of separating for example Willow Tit from Marsh Tit .. and has a superb section on Gulls .. especially helpful for those (like me) who're often mystified by the sheer range of plumage differences ...

Again, this is a book I "dip" into on a regular basis ..

Bye for now ..

Kev ..