The Birds of Sussex
By Sussex Ornithological Society edited by Adrian LR Thomas | 608 Pages | Colour Photos | Colour Illustrations | Colour Distribution Maps | Colour Tables | British Trust for Ornithology | Hardback | Jan 2014 | ISBN: 9781908581310
Publisher’s View: The Birds of Sussex describes the status and changing fortunes of all the wild birds of Sussex. Over two million bird records and four years of intensive survey work, as part of the work towards the Bird Atlas 2007-11, underpin this compelling book. Stunning photographs of over 250 species are included, all taken in Sussex. The Birds of Sussex also includes and interprets distribution maps for all the key species, and contains additional chapters on habitats, climate, bird conservation, bird ringing and migration in the county.
Fatbirder View: The BTO’s latest Atlas of the Birds of Britain was a monumental work conducted by thousands of people. Each ‘Vice County’ submitted records, maps, and no doubt far more detailed information than can be published in one volume. This volume is one county’s records illustrated with locally taken photos and very detailed maps. It describes the rise and fall of species and is a fascinating insight into the county avifauna. I have no doubt every birder in Sussex will want this on their shelves. I have but one small criticism which is that a lot of the photos do not seem ‘colour true’ to me and I assume this a fault in printing not in the original material… it’s a shame as sometimes such minor detail can be a distraction.
Nevertheless, this heavy tome deserves shelf space… even if you have to reinforce the brackets!
Fatbirder