The sheer variety in shape, colour, and size of the birds to be found in Britain and Europe provide birdwatchers with a truly spectacular pastime. Whether out for a walk in the local park or in the heart of the countryside, there is always something interesting to see. superb, full-colour plates with extensive captions and detailed facing-plate identification texts and maps, to enable identification at a glance.

Besides a few minor quibbles, this is an excellent field guide and is well worth consideration in the crowded field of books covering birds in Britain and Ireland. This new app series features incredible search functionality, letting you organize species alphabetically or taxonomically and search by family, shape, color, habitat and, more. You can even take notes and upload photos to create your own digital nature journal.

Do some homework

As we continue to enjoy nature close to home, we’ve asked NHSN members to tell us about their favourite field guides for the garden or on nearby walks. In this post, local naturalist Neil Pont recommends guides for identifying birds. Field Guides for Bird Watchers I came to more serious bird watching quite late in life and my enthusiasm was really ignited when I was introduced, by a friend, to Gosforth Nature Reserve and, by default, NHSN. I think this was about 15 years ago. This friend also managed to get me enrolled on to David Noble-Rollins’ ever-popular ‘Birds of the North East’ class. So now my Tuesdays were spoken for. Describe the sound you are hearing, either out loud to someone else or in your head. Does it stay at one pitch or go up and down? Is it loud or quiet? Fast or slow? Repetitive or varied? Does it remind you of another sound? Comprehensive and definitive, the text covers status and conservation, geographic range, movements and migration, breeding biology and feeding habits, plus identification and latest taxonomic treatments.

The Handbook - HBI as it is already known - must now jostle for bookshelf space with not only the BWP but also the other major treatments of the birds of Europe or the Western Palearctic which have emerged over the last decade. To do so successfully, it must offer something identifiably different and of sufficient quality to meet the demands of an increasingly sophisticated market. The acid test of the success of HBI must therefore lie in its text. This I found to be excellent, with an appropriate balance given to jizz and plumage minutiae. The more complex identification problems are well-handled and are models of crisp precision given the constraints of space. HBI is not, therefore, the source of major new enlightenments (nor presumably was it intended to be), but it does give an admirably solid and authoritative snapshot of our knowledge of bird identification in the late 1990's. Other more specialist sources may have more detail on a particular topic, or one may prefer some other plates by other artists in other works, but no other single guide brings together so much of such a consistently high quality.' Andy Stoddart, Birding World " GPS coordinates for each species of the top three to five locations where you're likely to see the bird and what time of year is best for this This definitive and bestselling field guide is the perfect companion for nature enthusiasts and birdwatchers. Want to identify the butterflies that visit your garden, learn which birds make which call, create a list of the trees that grow naturally in your area, or research what animals you might see on your next hike?The Collins Bird Guide is undoubtedly the finest field guide that has ever been produced and now deservedly sits in a bird book elite of essential titles - nestling between BWP, HBW and Birds of Europe. The nomenclature and taxonomy may not be to everybody's liking, but it is a certainty that the magnificent work of Mullarney and Zetterstrom has set the illustrative standard for decades to come and will be admired and enjoyed by thousands of birders worldwide for many years. The word `classic' is so often over-used these days but, for once, it is a particularly fitting way to refer to this book. This is the last great bird book of the 20th Century, and I am sure that Peter Grant would have been happy knowing that. It is a fitting tribute to him, and his co-author and the world class artists. This book is an absolute gem.' Mark Golley, Birding World " From the creators of the world's most trusted field guides--a go-to source for millions of nature lovers--comes a completely new and unparalleled reference work: the most comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date guide to the trees of North America.