Birds: The Art of Ornithology by Jonathon Elphick (really detailed study of bird art through the ages, lots of lovely paintings)

The State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead, 2007 (charts the fortunes of the British and Irish breeding birds over the 20th century and predicts their prospects for the next decade)

Both titles on sale for £3.99 at Bents garden centre, Leigh. Looked well worth a read they did too, though I didn't personally purchase either (still saving for that damn Reed and Bush Warblers!)

Now now Gentlemen, one does not disclose one assets, however always thought the Audubon,s birds of America was a tad on the heavy size to carry around.

Hilda Quick was reported to have a large copy of birds of America in the cabin on St Agnes, no one knows where it went

Have seen and handled a proper copy,whilst also viewing a Gutenburg Bible in Mainz Germany
a twitch for both books

As for the John Rylands Library brilliant place to visit, looks just like the 200 Club.

Keep birding.

There was a copy on view at the John Rylands library in Manchester City Centre late last year.

Lots of questions about bird behaviour recently, the answer lies in your observations, or in an old book.

British Tits, Christopher Perrins

The Dipper, S. Tyler

Seventy Years of Birdwatching H.G. Alexander.


Keep Birding

For those who are interested in old books the POYSER collection has always been difficult to complete, due to high prices for some 1st Editions, however A&C Black publishers are reprinting them priced at about £50 each.

For the purist like me, I will still want an old copy, so anyone upgrading lets me know!

Keep Birding.

Steve it was Pipits Larks and Wagtails number 78.

Have put a couple of more affordable books on the website.


Keep birding.

Having a sort out of the shelves, and have just sold number 78 in the new naturalist series for £500

Now who said books are naff.


Keep birding

The Snow Bunting, by Desmond Nethersole Thompson.

An excellent tome on a bird that appears to be all over GM at present.


keep Birding

Finally obtained a book I should have purchased when new.

Moult and Ageing of European Passerines Lukas Jenner Raffael Winkler.

Expensive book now.

Recommended reading for GM Birders on Scottish ferries this weekend,

Peter Matthiessen The Birds of Heaven, (Travels with Cranes.)

Keep Birding

Hi Paul Heaton,
You seem to be a bibliophile from what I see regularly posted here.
Did you ever come across an old Penguin publication, a paperback by Kenneth Allsop titled "Adventure lit their star"? It's probably long out of print, but it's a book which I seem to accidentally bump into every 7 or 8 years, lying forgotten on the shelves in my study and end up reading yet again because it's such a nice little read.
If you don't know the book, it was first published in 1949, and tells of the colonization of Britain by the first LRP's at a gravel pit on the outskirts of London, in a fictionalized story, with birders battling against an arch villian (an egger of course).
My copy, an early 70's print, originally cost 35p!

Another, fairly boring book, (which I only bought on a recommendation from one of the Poyser family because of the small print run), was "Flamingos" published in 1975 in the Poyser series, by Janet Kear. My copy has never been read through, is in mint condition, and from the £8.80 I paid for it, is apparently worth quite a lot now.

I also have a couple of spare Bannerman's (Birds of the British Isles), these two among the first ones to go out of print, but without dust jackets, though I suspect there is little demand for these now. Still, I have always liked his narrative style. He was an active birder for 85 years from being an 8 year old kid, and each essay on every one of the birds on the British list at the time of writing, portrays the particular subject species almost like a personal encounter; - he "meets with the species on it's southbound migration to Somalia, etc..." Or, he seeks the view of an eminent Russian ornithologist (invariably a Madame Kozlova) who he quotes as the source for the life history of birds like Sociable Plover or Black Lark, (the latter included on the basis of alleged arrivals in Kent and Sussex in the early1900's).
Although obviously rather dated nowadays, I feel the importance of Bannerman's work is that it provides a snapshot of the status of birds like Corncrake, Kentish Plover, Wryneck and Red-backed Shrike from the 1930's and 1940's, and we can more fully appreciate what we have already lost and could still so easily yet lose.
Regards,
Mike P.

I can only concur with Paul's comments. Ian Wallace's books are great and he's a lovely and unassuming bloke. I wish everyone had the same attitude to birdwatching as him. He told me he was giving up public speaking but if he ever breaks that promise go and listen to him - he really is a legend!

Steve

PS - could he help you with your research on Hilda Quick, Paul?

-- Edited by Steve Suttill at 10:02, 2009-02-03

Paul Heaton wrote:

---

Keep Birdwatching (is that better steve).

Much, much better, Paul

Steve

Baggers wrote:

---

John. I've ditched the wellies, and on my irregular trips to PF I tend to avoid the South Bank. The last time I saw Mr Brown was October 2002 on North Ronaldsay. We had a cracking week, and he was on fine form, as was the island: cirl bunting and veery being the highlights as well as a superb showing of both the northern lights and the local ale (Skullsplitter). See you at Pennington one day soon?

---

you will need me to guide you round,you wouldn't recodnise the place

Baggers wrote:

---

Dear John

At 15, I was only just cutting my teeth as a birder and as an illustrator - so I look back at the images in the book with a certain amount of pride mixed with a tiny twinge of embarrassment. Dave Wilson was fantastic to work with because he had such an intimate understanding of the birds of Pennington Flash, and gave me a really good steer as to how to portray the birds, and the settings and locations I drew the birds in. He put a lot of faith in me too - this book was a real labour of love for him and I was completely untested. The gathering of swifts on the title page, the pied wagtail, the coot, the gulls gathering on the first fairway of the golf course and many others, were collaborations that required an understanding of the particular behaviour of birds at Pennington Flash. I think it was the settings in which the birds were placed that make the book more valuable - the birds are very much the same wherever they are located, but the backdrop to them is so radically changed now. I tried to be as faithful as possible to the views, and in some ways, these were often more successful than the birds themselves! I'd love to be just starting the work again now... but best I stop before the nostalgia gets too much!

Very best,
Patrick

John Tymon wrote
hi paddy where have you been?
hope you still don't wear shorts and wellies in the middle of winter
hope you've managed to wash that flour out of your hair,from that bag i lobbed at you when we were bored on the south bankdon't think brownys washed it out of his,after seeing his last mugshotsi thi soon,was out with dave a few weeks ago!no ones changed



-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 18:36, 2008-12-16

Mark Rigby wrote:

---

All we need now is Noel Edmonds and Posh Paws.

For those Very Old/Very Young, there was a Kids TV program called 'Swap Shop' Or am I showing my age!

---

Not only showing your age Mark but also your lack of taste!

Everyone knows that all discerning kids and overgrown kids (aka adults) of that era watched 'Tiswas' and not Saturday Morning Swapshop!

Noel was (always has been and always will be) unfashionable . Tiswas was "edgy" and had "street cred" - can't believe I've had the nerve to use those phrases at my age!!

Wonder whatever happened to Sally James and also Spit the Dog ? In fact, now I come to think of it I might have seen them both at Strinesdale the other week - along with the other 99 or so other walkers and dogs!

Regards,

Bill.

Dear all

I have a field guide to the Birds of East Africa which is surplus but I would like to get a bird book on the birds of Sri Lanka. Perhaps someone can do a swap please
Ian

Recently had an excellent books that I am 3 quarters through called An Artist on Migration Bruce Pearson, received this from Steve Suttill after I asked him to re-home a book for me, the conclusion was a swap of books.

Which leads me to an idea how many other birders have got double copies of books they cannot sell, but want something else.

As you may have guessed I have alot, I do have two nice edtions of A Country Diary of a Cheshire Man by A W Boyd it gives account of birds seen inand around Cheshire from 1933 onward plus alot of stuff in the Manchester area.

So what is taking up space on your shelves.



keep birding

Hi Paul,

I've just seen an apology to Martin Garner in a Birdguides weekly newsletter "for failing to do justice to the outstanding content of the book, which has been widely praised".

They are also offering a £10 gift voucher to anyone who paid full price for the book. Hope you bought it from them.

Cheers, John

Paul, that is a bargain - but I'll reserve judgement on your sanity!

If you could do me some copies of the engravings, that would be much appreciated.

Cheers, Steve

It is a good addition to your library, Paul. Cracking engravings by Tunnicliffe. One that has escaped my collection I'm afraid - only ever seen one copy and it was beyond the reach of my wallet. Either the RSPCA pays you too much or you're madder than I thought! Or did you find a bargain?

Steve

working or birding paul but there's not much chance of catching me in during the day, most people dont realise just how much birding i actually do!

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 20:08, 2008-07-09

Do we all remember FRONTIERS OF BIRD IDENTIFICATION edited by JTR SHARROCK.
an excellent tome my copy is still in good condition, and is not a bad read even today.

Well have just opened my post and have a nice copy of.

FRONTIERS IN BIRDING MARTIN GARNER AND FRIENDS 2008

Hot of the press a bit expensive appox £29.95 paperback cheap paper and only black and white pictures but has potential.

got a nice free birdguides.com sticker for the back of the white van.( hint as where to look for book).

KEEP BIRDING.

i

Country rambles and Manchester walks by Leo H Grindon 1882 found a nice copy today and according to the list of county birds in the back stock dove is rare how times change.

Also finally got a F stubbs birds of the Oldham district 1904

I do believe, I now have all the books that have covered the Manchester and surrounding area since 1800,

unless someone knows different


keep birding.

Yesterdays Temmincks Stint I am sure had birders checking there Id books to make certain they all noted the relevant features of the bird, in fact one GM birders had grand notes and a cracking little drawing.

Details of why we should do this can be found on this website please take time to read it.

And then for the real Bookworms among us may I draw your attention to
Biographies for Birdwatchers by Barbara and Richard Mearns,
in which we learn about Coenraad Jacob Temminck ( 1778-1858 ) who the bird is name after.



Glad they dont do that any more can you imagine what the Woosey bird would look like, or the warfy warbler


keep Birding.