Book, Binocular and Clothing Reviews - Finding Birds in the South of France

The Publisher’s View:

This book gives precise details on how to find the most exciting birds in the Camargue, the French Alps, the French Pyrenees, the Cevennes and other sites too

Dave Gosney writes: ‘‘There are lots of exciting birds that are worth searching for in the south of France – but what are your chances of actually seeing them? For this book I ‘road-tested’ dozens of locations, many of which were supposed to be known sites for particular species, to find out whether the birds are still there. Many terrific birds were found, a few were missed but others have almost certainly disappeared. This book, then, gives you precise details of exactly where birds such as Wallcreeper, Lammergeier, Rock Partridge, Little Bustard, Calandra Lark, Western Orphean Warbler, Moustached Warbler and Rock Thrush can still be found or, in some cases, where to look if you want to search for the birds I didn’t see.”

Unique features

Compared to other publications covering the same area, this one:

• Provides the most useful maps – so you can easily find your way to the best bits of wetland, steppe or woodland

• Includes GPS co-ordinates to help you find the right turnings, parking spaces or viewing points

• Highlights the best areas only – and summarises the key attraction in the first paragraph so you can easily decide whether to read on or bother to visit the site

• Has a map on the inside cover which serves as an index so you can easily find any site in the book

• Is light and portable (and cheap)

• Is supplemented by the site pages in this website (which include photos of many of the locations)

• Is updated in the free update pages on this website, giving details of what other birders have found at these sites

The Author: Dave Gosney is both author and publisher. His passion over many years has been helping birders find birds as a guide, writer and film-maker. Since being made redundant by Birdguides he has been revising and adding to his collection of videos and booklets. There are now 21 in the latest series, just as there were 21 in the old series. The originals were written and researched in the 1990s; two decades later he has re-visited sites and re-written the guides and re-made many videos as well as adding new locations.

Fatbirder View:Any regular reader of these reviews will know I have always been a fan of these concise, pocket-friendly guides. I met Dave when he was still the leading light of Birdguides and used his books on more than one occasion. My first trip to Majorca was much enhanced by having his book tucked in my pocket. Other trips I’ve made have sometimes been heralded by a viewing of one of his accompanying videos which give you a feel for the place and the birding potential.Since parting company with Birdguides and going back out on his own doing what he loves most, birding and helping the rest of us find birds, he has revisited many places and revised his guides. To start with much of the material needed just a tweak here or there, but he was soon enhancing them so that you could match the videos to the books by site. Latterly the booklets are much changed… of course time has not been good to some unprotected areas; Dave has, of course, also found new sites in old places. The maps very much stay in the charming free-hand style of a birder’s notebook but the information is packed into them. Moreover, the texts have changed and grown getting more detailed and now offering precise GPS details so you can be sure of being in exactly the right place. With a lot of the most sought-after and hard to find birds there are very precise details of exactly where you will find them.I’ve never birded in the south of France, but you can be sure that if and when I do this booklet will be my constant companion!

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