British Birds: A photographic guide to every common species (Collins Complete Guide)

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By Iain D. Campbell, Ken Behrens, Charley Hesse and Phil Chaon; Princeton University Press, 2021; reviewed in BBby Stephen Menzie ( Brit. Birds115: 537–538). By Peter Adriaens, Mars Muusse, Philippe J. Dubois and Frédéric Jiguet; Princeton University Press, 2021; reviewed in BBby Brian Small ( Brit. Birds115: 177–178) and for BTO by Fionnuala McCully. Following on from the highly acclaimed Britain’s Birds ( Brit. Birds 113: 507), this title takes the same concept and expands it to cover the entirety of Europe. It’s clear that a considerable amount of work has gone into selecting a wide range of images that show variation and different postures for each species, including attempting to get photos of vagrant species taken in Europe rather than from their native range. While photo guides are not everyone’s cup of tea, there’s no doubting that this is one of the best and the most complete out there. When casting their votes, the judges paid particular attention to the ornithological impact of the titles on the shortlist. Of course, ‘ornithological impact’ can be a rather broad concept – but there’s no doubt that this book will have a substantial impact on the world of ornithology. Accordingly, the title was awarded points from all six of the BBBY judges. When discussing thoughts on the title, the term ‘not preachy’ was used on multiple occasions –and that was one of the qualities that drew the judges to this book. The positive stories and practical inspiration for how individual birders can reduce their carbon footprint while engaging in their hobby make this a readable and meaningful title, and the judges felt that this was one of the most important books published in the past 12 months.

By Kirsty ‘Crow Artist’ Yeomans; Crow Artist, 2020; reviewed in BBby Alan Harris ( Brit. Birds115: 113).This mesmerising account of White’s determination to train a goshawk was part of the inspiration behind Helen Macdonald’s enormously popular H Is for Hawk. Indeed, Macdonald wrote a foreword to a recent reissue of The Goshawk. I take away from it a strong impression of obsession, plus the lesson behind this useful remark: “If you saw a bird … it had already seen you.” This year, Hazel McCambridge, Maria Farooqi and Jenna Woodford represented BTO on the judging panel, while Paul French, Sarah Harris and Stephen Menzie represented British Birds.

Another release in the highly popular WILDGuides series, this title takes the approach of its predecessor Britain’s Birds but expands its cover across Europe. The panel felt that considerable work has gone into selecting a wide range of images, so that variation in plumage and different postures are shown clearly for each species. Look at him, putting his own book in. Always thought he was the type. Except I’m not. When I edited the anthology Murmurations, I included a new story, Gulls, by Nicholas Royle. Professor of English at the University of Sussex (I teach at Manchester Metropolitan University) and author of numerous works of nonfiction, Royle had published his first novel, Quilt, the year before. Gulls reappears in this, his second. Our expert staff regularly review the latest releases relating to ornithology, bird watching and bird science. For the third year in a row, judging for BBBY was held on Zoom, with Paul French, Sarah Harris and Stephen Menzie representing British Birdsand Hazel McCambridge, Maria Scullion and Jenna Woodford representing BTO.As Martin Collinson put it in his review of this title, ‘This book makes the case that vagrancy in birds matters.’ Indeed, the judges were impressed by the easily accessible way that this title presented theories on vagrancy – and its importance to a host of ornithological events, from the formation of new migration routes to speciation, as vagrants create new populations on isolated islands that eventually evolve into new species. There is also an impressive amount of research summarised in the family-by-family section, which discusses extralimital records of various species as well as detailing interesting theories and observations on the vagrancy tendencies of birds in the given family. This book offers something for all birders and ornithologists, from rarity hunters to conservationists studying habitat loss, and was, therefore, recognised by the judges as being one of the most useful titles of 2022. My older sister owned this and the Observer’s Book of Birds. I loved both and still do. I find myself drawn to things that are the same, but different. Birds and eggs, for instance; but there’s a greater degree of difference between birds than between their eggs. The eggs of the buzzard and the sandwich tern are much more alike than the buzzard and the sandwich tern. It’s largely a question of scale. Read BTO's review of Gulls of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East: an identification guide by Fionnuala McCully Wild Fell is the story of conservation and rewilding from the inside, detailing the author's journey through managing a nature reserve in the Lake District. An initial vote from each of the judges determined the shortlist, with 11 of the 45 eligible titles going forward to the second round. The final vote took place in mid December, with the usual lively discussion and debate between the judges before they cast their votes to determine the winning title. It was tight at the top, with just a few points separating the winner from second and third place.

The panel felt that Gulls of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East would make a good first guide for those new to ‘gulling’, as well as providing an expert reference for those who have been dedicated birders for decades. Well thought out and structured to assist the reader [...] another one of the top quality bargain books we have come to expect from Princeton's WildGuides series." With concise but informative text and easy-to-understand diagrams, Habitats of the World offers birders and naturalists the opportunity to learn more about the landscapes they find themselves in, both at home and abroad. Well thought out and structured to assist the reader. . . . another one of the top quality bargain books we have come to expect from Princeton's WildGuides series."—Phil Slade, Another Bird Blog An initial vote from each of the judges determined the shortlist. The final vote took place in mid December, with the usual lively discussion and debate between the judges before they cast their votes to determine the winning title.The narrow geographical scope of the book (a clifftop local patch in Yorkshire) enhances rather than detracts from the author's dedication and passion. Thompson writes novels that combine elements of fable, mystery fiction, fairytale and the uncanny. In The Falconer, a young woman takes a secretarial position in a remote Scottish manor house in the 1930s, determined to find out what happened to her predecessor, her late sister. It’s the dreamlike quality of this novel that places it just ahead of Barry Hines’s A Kestrel for a Knave among my favourite fictions about falconers.