Rob HumeBritain's Birds: An Identification Guide to the Birds of Great Britain and Ireland Second Edition, fully revised and updated: 41 (WILDGuides of Britain & Europe)

I wouldn't call myself a birder or birdwatcher, but I like birds and enjoy taking photo's of them, and I do like to try to identify them. This book is absolutely beautiful, the photo's are so numerous and so sharp, and there's so much information, it's a joy to browse! It is heavy, but I understand that there's a more compact version for people who want to take a guide with them on their travels. Now that I've seen the quality of this book, I'm planning on adding to my collection with their books on mammals, insects & butterflies too!

First of all, this covers 631 species accepted into the British & Irish lists by the end of 2019. It is a monumental book of 576 pages, so it would be a little weighty to carry around in the field- hopefully the e book will follow like the other excellent WILDguides.I did not buy the first edition but having seen previews of this one, I decided to splash out as I am a fan of photoguides if they are done right. Perhaps "splashing out" is not the right expression, as for £20, this is a steal, especially if you can get it cheaper like I did. The modern preference for photo montages are very educational, but can suffer from images that are too small. There is no artwork here just incredible photographs that show off all of the species identification features in a positive way. However, do we really need another ID guide for Britain's birds as there are so many terrific guides and apps available? Personally, I don't think so but this book takes ID to another level with a bewildering array of photographs taken from every angle, almost every conceivable plumage that are brilliantly laid out on the page so most species are given the ultimate treatment within the confines of the page so it's easy to digest in conjunction with the accompanying text and pointer boxes- a very important consideration that a lot of guides simply do not address.I spent about an hour when the book arrived, just casually browsing through, so this review is not hugely extensive. Each common or scarce species is given amp!e coverage, even extreme rarities like Green Warbler and Masked Shrike have images. The distribution maps are better than most guides, but still a little ambiguous -you simply can't accurately map every bird within a 3 x 1 inch space. 10 pages devoted to gulls before you get to the actual species accounts is wonderfully generic, a whole page of flying larks: three pages of skuas in flight and one page of wren races are my favourites so far. A little stingy on the Bean geese though. Just one page? Well, in spite of my minor gribbles, this is a fantastic book for amateur and experienced birders alike and even though I have been birding for almost 50 years, I'm glad I bought it as, like most birders, I'm sure that I will learn from it. Besides, it's fabulous to look at!However, I wouldn't like to have this book as my first reference if I were just starting birding today. There is just too much info here that would confuse the novice. This is really not a book for beginners, the simpler RSPB or BTO books are excellent and this book should be one to gravitate within the identification process. However, this book is a landmark in British Bird literature as much as the Collins guide and is I cannot recommend it to every birder highly enough.

Originally I purchased the Kindle version which whilst still an excellent book I didn't like accessing information on my Samsung tablet.So my daughter kindly gave me the printed version for Christmas.It's a very well put together robust and informative book with excellent photos and illustrations.The information on each bird is easy to understand and not too "scientific" for us novices.Overall a very nice book and I'd recommend it to novice and experienced bird watchers alike.

Great photographs & descriptions

This bird book is the best I have found, with good illustrations, written information to help identification and easy index.

This is an amazing book which will come in really handy for anyone who wants to identify birds. It is over 570 pages long so not a pocket guide yet it is still small enough to take in the car.

I bought this book based on the reviews listed here. Well the book is a hefty affair, but packed full of birds & info. I am a beginner in the birding world & after a visit to Titchfield haven, I am astonished that folks can identify species, my 8 X 30 binos showed little detail as the birds were so far away. Obviously not the fault of the book.A beautiful book, packed with possibilities, could be used as a field guide, too weighty, for me to lug about, so I keep it in the car?A great size, some folks complaining it's too small it's not it's about A5 size, perfect.Most of the reviews are spot on, indeed a must have for any serious birder, or indeed the casual bird lover, & for use in your garden, and you might be surprised what shows up!If you love birds, & even have the beginnings of a twitcher in you, buy it, it's fantastic. You will not be disappointed.Maybe too much info for some, but the bang for your buck is immense, & even if you don't see half the birds listed here, well one day you might.! And be surprised.!

My mum loved this book and the photo's are so much clearer than the drawings you can get in other books. The book also has a lovely feel to it and seems to have a logical way of identifying birds.

Ordered this for a trip to Ireland and Scotland. I was very surprised at how thick and heavy it was when it arrived. IMO too heavy to travel with but a very nice reference. Lot of birds and pictures (or illustrations) on glossy paper.

Mon guide préféré grâce aux choix des photos des différents âges, plumages, angles de prise de vue ..

La mejor guia actual en mi opinion con comparativas de especies similares no abarca todas las europeas aunque se han ampliado en esta segunda edicion muy mejorada no era muy fan de las guias de fotos pero esta es especial ojalá saquen una que cubra todas las especies europeas

I've used many birding guides -- for reference and field work -- and this is by far the most beautiful, the best formatted, and the most useable I've ever held in my hands. Incredible photography and photography adaptation within the book's formatting. Everything is up to date. Especially useful are the detailed species comparisons (txt, charts, and side-by-side illustrations), thorough inclusion of rarities and vagrants, and the complete listing of "Status and Legislation."

Muy buena guía. Un amigo me enseñó la edición anterior y quedé gratamente sorprendido. Está es más completa y me encantan los detalles que tiene y lo buena que es para aprender a identificar bichos. Me gusta mucho la parte de las aves marinas y limicolas. Un complemento muy bueno a la clásica Svensson.