The last comprehensive review of Nottinghamshire's birds was produced more than four decades ago. Much has changed since then, and a new avifauna is long overdue. This book draws together historic reports from the nineteenth century, records from the files of the county bird club (Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers), and data from national and regional surveys and monitoring programmes. The resulting account presents an overview of the present state of the county's birdlife, set against a context of environmental and climatic change. The gravel pits in the Trent and Idle Valleys form major corridors for birds moving across Britain and Nottinghamshire has attracted more than its share of national rarities. These include Britain's first Egyptian Nightjar and Lesser Yellowlegs in the nineteenth century, Bufflehead, Redhead, Cedar Waxwing and breeding Black-winged Stilts in the twentieth century, and a memorable nesting attempt by European Bee-eaters in 2017. The woods and heaths of Sherwood lying in the middle of the county also provide a haven for an array of iconic species including European Nightjar, Eurasian Woodcock, Honeybuzzard and Hawfinch. This book describes the past and present status of the 334 species that have been recorded in Nottinghamshire up to 2018. Lavishly illustrated with photographs taken within the county, and sketches from the internationally recognised artist Michael Warren, it is intended to be an authoritative reference to the birds of Nottinghamshire.

This is an ornithological bibliography for the counties of England, Wales, and Scotland and for the Isle of Man. It includes all known books, pamphlets and papers which contain substantial studies of the birds of local areas, from a county down to a back garden or a gravel pit. Each county has an introduction on its boundaries and the history of its ornithology. There has been no comprehensive national publication of this kind since Mullens, Swann and Jourdain's Geographical Bibliography in 1920. The volume also provides a detailed record of the many county and local bird reports and of the ever-increasing number of area surveys produced by statutory and voluntary bodies. The material is arranged by the pre-1974 counties and takes the record up to 1995. There are maps to show the many changes in county boundaries since 1800.The book will be a standard reference work for libraries and collectors, and for anyone interested in the rich and diverse development of local ornithology in its homeland.