The Birds of Gloucestershire - Hardcover

Kirk, Gordon; Phillips, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846318084 ISBN 13: 9781846318085

Verlag: Liverpool University Press, 2013

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This is the most comprehensive account of Gloucestershire's birds ever produced, covering all the species recorded in the county in modern times. There are detailed maps showing the distribution and abundance of over 130 regular species, based on four years of fieldwork carried out by hundreds of volunteers. Graphs, tables and statistics illustrate the patterns of occurrence of many species, including passage migrants and rarities. Also included are descriptions of the bird habitats and the history of bird watching and conservation in the county. Some of Britain's most prominent bird artists, past and present, including Jackie Garner, Robert Gillmor, Terence Lambert, Peter Partington, Peter Scott and Keith Shackleton, have provided beautiful illustrations, which sit alongside sumptuous photographs of many of the birds and the county's landscapes. The volume includes a Foreword by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. 'A comprehensive review with a particularly appealing mix of artwork and photographs.' Best Local Birds Atlas, 2007-17 '... two authors have seized the opportunity to incorporate the results of the national Atlas, with a full avifauna. Their splendid book is a triumph of organization and yet another valuable contribution to local ornithology from their talented designers at Liverpool.' David Balance, Ibis * Ibis * 'Anyone from Gloucestershire, or who has an interest in the area, will find the book fascinating. It is the first really detailed account of ornithology in Gloucestershire and will almost certainly become the bible for local birders.' James Lees, Birdwatch * Birdwatch * There was a great need for a book of this calibre in our county and it has now been more than fulfilled. James Lees, Birdwatch * Birdwatch * Reviews'Wherever you go - along the river, or up on the wolds - here is the essential guide to Gloucestershire's birds. It will bring you joy.' Ian Wallace

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Wherever you go - along the river, or up on the wolds - here is the essential guide to Gloucestershire's birds. It will bring you joy. -- Ian Wallace I was very pleased to receive the new and very comprehensive book, 'The Birds of Gloucestershire'. There was a great need for a book of this calibre in our county and it has now been more than fulfilled. It even starts with a royal seal of approval by HRH the Prince of Wales. The book settles you in gently with very detailed accounts of all the different habitats in Gloucestershire and describes, with photographs, many of the top sites. Also included are some very interesting aerial photographs. The book then moves into a fascinating history of bird recording and conservation methods in the county. As a reserve warden at Slimbridge WWT, the species account section will become an excellent resource. In fact, I am going to crib some of the information to update and improve my daily commented feeds to the public. These days, I may only see one Pink-footed Goose per winter at Slimbridge, but reading this species' account reveals a past wintering flock of 1,200 birds. And the fact that only a few hundred European Golden Plover used to be seen in winter but now we may see in excess of 5,000 is truly remarkable. This sort of historic detail allows you to see which birds have disappeared from the area and which are increasing. Anyone from Gloucestershire, or who has an interest in the area, will find the book fascinating. It is the first really detailed account of ornithology in Gloucestershire and will almost certainly become the bible for local birders. I think we all tend to stick to our most local of patches too often when birding and perhaps we forget we are in a county rich in variety and habitats with their own varying climates. This book has inspired me to get out and discover more of Gloucestershire's very diverse countryside in 2014. The book is full of excellent photographs taken by local people in Gloucestershire of the actual wildlife talked about in the book. The artwork, too, is outstanding and provides a nice mix throughout the book alongside the photos. The high-quality graphs were also easy to understand. It is clearly a mammoth undertaking to compile a book of this standard, so it was great to see that everyone involved was well acknowledged for their efforts or contributions. This book really gives a sense of value and appreciation to what a wonderful county we live in, full of passionate and enthusiastic residents. This excellent avifauna now takes pride of place at the top of my rather out-of-control wildlife library. -- James Lees Birdwatch There was a great need for a book of this calibre in our county and it has now been more than fulfilled. -- James Lees Birdwatch Anyone from Gloucestershire, or who has an interest in the area, will find the book fascinating. It is the first really detailed account of ornithology in Gloucestershire and will almost certainly become the bible for local birders. -- James Lees Birdwatch This is the only English county without a distinctly separate ornithological society covering its whole area. Its annual report is produced by the Committee of representatives from various organizations which has sponsored this work. Thirty years have now passed since the last Gloucestershire avifauna (Swaine 1982; reviewed in Ibis 125: 432), although there have been two useful Cotswold atlases (Wright et al. 1990, and Main et al. 2009; see Ibis 152: 195-196). Now two authors have seized the opportunity to incorporate the results of the national Atlas, with a full avifauna. Their splendid book is a triumph of organization and yet another valuable contribution to local ornithology from their talented designers at Liverpool. It covers the post-1974 county; 'South Gloucestershire' is included in 'Avon' and therefore in the recent Atlas for that Recording Area (Bland & Dadds 2013; reviewed in Ibis 155: 683-684). This might claim to be the most thorough county avifauna yet published. All species have full historical treatment, without the straitjacket of the 4-year atlas period and most have four distribution maps, in which 'abundance' is allotted equal importance with the exact breeding status revealed (at least in theory) by the tetrad visits. Anyone involved in tetrad atlases should read the authors' lucid and commonsense remarks on 'Interpreting the maps' and on 'Breeding status' (p. 57). Gloucestershire is a medium-sized county, still largely rural away from Gloucester and Cheltenham (now almost a single urban sprawl) and the thickly populated valleys around Stroud. It falls into three main divisions: the high, cold Cotswold plateau; the Severn and Avon Vales, with their flood plains and the far-famed Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust; and the Forest of Dean and the adjacent Wye Valley, which holds woodland species almost absent elsewhere. In the southeast corner is the extraordinary modern creation of the Cotswold Water Park, still expanding along a chain of flooded gravel pits. A strong feature of this book is the lavish and effective (in part, aerial) photography of habitats in the Introduction. Losses, largely among farmland species, and gains, largely among raptors and waterbirds, are clearly charted and are generally in line with neighbouring and other Midland counties: Lapwings Vanellus vanellus, Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur and Spotted Flycatchers Muscicapa striata have declined; Buzzards Buteo buteo, Hobbies Falco subbuteo and Ravens Corvus corax have prospered. In 1967, there were two pairs of Lesser Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus in Gloucester; there are now at least 4100 pairs in the county. The book was marketed for pre-publication purchase at only GBP20.00. This was indeed a bargain, but one does wonder how many will buy it at list price, even among the richest villages in England! One might even question (as I have done before) whether a less elaborate and more affordable work might convey the same information to a wider audience. -- David Balance Ibis, 156, 478-489 ... two authors have seized the opportunity to incorporate the results of the national Atlas, with a full avifauna. Their splendid book is a triumph of organization and yet another valuable contribution to local ornithology from their talented designers at Liverpool. -- David Balance Ibis Gloucestershire is a region in south-west England with just over 500,000 inhabitants over 2653 km^2. This reference work gives an overview of the 330 species of wild birds one can see there. During the creation of the book, the authors had access to the maps from Bird Atlas 2007-11. This does not mean that The Birds of Gloucestershire is just a local atlas. The authors provide a detailed overview of the presence of each species throughout the year. Almost all species have a double spread. In addition to a photo and a drawing, distribution maps show exactly where the species was observed during the atlas project. Most species have 4 maps showing its presence during breeding season and winter and population densities in summer and winter. For some species - for example, the Jaegers and some species of gulls - images offer the possibility to make a comparison with previous periods. It would have been interesting if it was also done for other species, but perhaps it would have made the atlas too large, and so this information is found in the text. The authors did not consider it necessary to provide a distribution and density map for each species, however, this does not mean that The Birds of Gloucestershire is anything other than a reliable reference book. -- Walter Belis Alauda This is the most comprehensive account of Gloucestershire's birds ever produced, covering all the species recorded in the county in modern times. There are detailed maps showing the distribution and abundance of over 130 regular species, based on four years of fieldwork carried out by hundreds of volunteers. Graphs, tables and statistics illustrate the patterns of occurrence of many species, including passage migrants and rarities. Also included are descriptions of the bird habitats and the history of bird watching and conservation in the county. Some of Britain's most prominent bird artists, past and present, including Jackie Garner, Robert Gillmor, Terence Lambert, Peter Partington, Peter Scott and Keith Shackleton, have provided beautiful illustrations, which sit alongside sumptuous photographs of many of the birds and the county's landscapes. The volume includes a Foreword by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

Über diese Auflage

• Verlag: Liverpool University Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1846318084
• ISBN 13: 9781846318085
• Einband: Tapa dura
• Anzahl der Seiten: 450