Scarce migrant birds of Britain and Ireland - how many are seen? How regularly do they come? Where do they occur? When are they likely to be spotted? The above questions are authoritatively answered by the author, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock, honorary secretary of the British Ornithologists' Union's Record Committee and of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, joint convener of the European Ornithological Atlas Committee, and a member of the British Birds Rarities Committee and of the Irish Records Panel. Dr Sharrock takes a ten-year period and investigates in detail all the records of a selection of birds which occur here as scarce migrants - birds from Europe, from Asia and from America. He considers their breeding and wintering ranges, and the patterns of their records in Britain and Ireland, and tries to determine also - why do they visit us at all? Jacket design by Robert Gillmor.

A new, improved and thoroughly updated edition of the bestselling photographic guide—the only one to cover every bird, in every plumage, ever recorded in Britain and Ireland A bestselling guide since it was first published, Britain's Birds has quickly established itself as the go-to photographic identification guide to the birds of Great Britain and Ireland—the most comprehensive, up-to-date, practical and user-friendly book of its kind. Acclaimed by birdwatchers of all kinds, from the beginner to the most experienced, the guide has now been thoroughly revised and updated to make it even better than before. Combining the finest of identification guide content and presentation, this eagerly awaited second edition preserves the best of the first edition while covering twelve newly recorded species and offering a host of improvements that make identification easier. Provides comprehensive coverage of all the birds ever recorded in Britain and Ireland Describes and illustrates all plumages likely to be encountered Features more than 3,200 stunning photographs carefully selected to show the birds as you really see them Outlines simple steps to help you identify any bird you see Presents simple and accurate comparisons of similar and difficult species New features include: Coverage of 12 new species recorded since the first edition plus revisions to reflect the latest taxonomy Coverage of all subspecies Improved identification aids, including more than 400 new photos, enhanced photo annotations and many redesigned plates Fully revised species accounts, including the latest information on identification features, status, numbers, geographical range and date ranges for all plumages that may be seen during only part of the year

Dr J.T.R. Sharrock is uniquely placed to write about the rare birds of Britain and Ireland. He is a member of all three bodies which adjudicate on such records - honorary secretary of the British Ornithologists' Union's Records Committee and a member of both the British Birds Rarities Committee and the Irish Records Panel. He is already the author of a companion book which deals with a selection of the commoner rarities, Scarce Migrant Birds in Britain and Ireland. In this new, much fuller book the enormous task of collation of over 8000 records and their visual display as maps and histograms was carried out by Mrs E. M. Sharrock. The textual and visual analysis deals with 221 different species. Between them, the authors present a complete picture of rare birds in Britain and Ireland: * HOW MANY are seen? * WHEN do they occur? * HOW regularly do they come? * WHERE are they seen? There are line drawings of all 221 species by well-known bird artists: Robert Gillmor, P. J. Grant, R. A. Richardson, D. I. M. Wallace and lan Willis. Jacket design by Robert Gillmor.

This trio of rare-bird specialists have produced not only a book of great fascination for those who delight in rarities for their own sake, but one that offers valuable information on changing patterns of arrival which may indicate changes of status of these birds within their breeding range. This book is a successor to two earlier works, Scarce Migrant Birds in Britain and Ireland (Sharrock 1974) and Rare Birds in Britain and Ireland (Sharrock 1976). It unifies both of the earlier books and updates them, adding more than 80 species to the previous total. The authors have analysed and considered some 45,000 records of scarce and rare birds in Britain and Ireland for the period 1958-85. Extreme rarities outside the period are also listed. More than 300 species accounts are now included, most of them accompanied by histograms of weekly and seasonal occurrences, with maps showing distribution by counties in spring and autumn or at particular times of the year. For rarities with twelve or fewer occurrences during the period 1958-85, the place, date and other relevant information is given for each record. Every species is illustrated by a line drawing, more than 150 of them commissioned for this book, the remainder being selected from the two earlier works.

A detailed and up to date assessment of the status and distribution of every species of bird in Britain and Ireland.

This invaluable book is the ultimate pocket guide to the birds of Britain and north-west Europe. Covering birds of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Britain, and Ireland, it describes 386 species, including all breeding species and all regular and scarce migrants. The definitive and accurate text highlights the key features that are required to make quick and safe identification. Almost every species is illustrated with a plate and all plumages regularly seen in the region are depicted. Similar species are compared to scale on double-page spreads as an aid to identification. Numerous maps are also included. Copublished with Pica Press

In a unique new collaboration, Collins have paired up with the respected British Trust for Ornithology, bringing together the most authoritative and up-to-date information in this new field guide to the common birds of Britain and Ireland.