A guide to bird behaviour in the British Isles throughout the year, including ID help, top things to see and do each month, facts and folklore, and practical ideas to help birds. Join Siân Duncan and Dominic Couzens on a journey through the seasons exploring what British birds are doing each month and why. Find out what's happening in parks, gardens and the wider countryside as they reveal how birds live, from courtship and parenting to migrating and the fight for survival. RSPB Birding Year is packed with information and photos and is ideal for anyone keen to learn more about the birds of the British Isles. Each month includes detailed profiles of five common birds and a more challenging species to try to see, as well as explorations of bird myths and folklore and practical advice from professionals on how to encourage birds into your garden. Meet the bird that can feed under ice, learn why birdsong is loudest in spring and discover the best birding spectacles to enjoy each season wherever you live, including starling murmurations over our towns , dramatic seabird cities around our coasts and millions of migrating birds that pass over or visit the British Isles each year.

A practical guide to observing, identifying and understanding birdsIf you want to know what birds are likely to turn up in your garden or where to go to see spectacular bird-life, RSPB Birdwatching for Beginners is the best place to start. Perfect for the novice birdwatcher, with everything you need to know about observing birds in their natural environment, but packed with facts and details invaluable to the experienced birdwatcher.Features 250 of the most common species found throughout the UK and Europe, complete with photographs, descriptions, and distribution maps to aid in identification. Provides expert spotting tips and lists the best birdwatching sites along with what to look for in each habitat. Fully updated to include all the latest developments in photographic equipment and online technology as well as information on every aspect of birds, from their anatomy and behaviour to how to identify them in the field, RSPB Birdwatching for Beginners has everything you need to know.Previously published as RSPB Birdwatching (9780751337334)

An exploration of the causes and patterns of avian vagrancy Avian vagrancy—the appearance of birds outside of their expected habitat—is a phenomenon that has fascinated natural historians for centuries, from Victorian collectors willing to spend fortunes on a rare specimen to today’s bird-chasing “twitchers.” Yet despite the obsessions of countless ornithologists, what do we actually know about the enigma of vagrancy? In Vagrancy in Birds, Alexander Lees and James Gilroy explore the causes, patterns, and processes behind the occurrences of these unique birds. Lees and Gilroy draw on recent research to answer fundamental questions: What causes avian vagrancy? Why do some places attract so many vagrant birds? Why are some species more predisposed to long-range vagrancy than others? The authors present readers with everything known about the subject, and bring together different lines of evidence to make the case for vagrancy as a biological phenomenon with important implications for avian ecology and evolution. Filled with a wealth of photographs, Vagrancy in Birds will fascinate avian enthusiasts everywhere.

A lavish celebration of 47 of the most frequent and familiar birds found in gardens around the British Isles. From urban rooftops to open meadows, the incredible diversity of gardens in the British Isles can provide refuge and feeding opportunities for a vast array of birds. Even the smallest gardens can attract some birdlife and watching garden birds is a great joy for all nature lovers, brightening each day and providing an immediate connection with the wider and wilder world beyond the fence. Nature is facing challenges throughout the world, including right here in the UK, and the changing fortunes of our garden birds are strong indicators of the overall health of our wildlife. With information on how to encourage birds to visit our gardens and boost their survival and breeding success, and how to identify them, this book describes the small steps we can all take to help these birds survive the hardships of winter and bring forth a healthy new generation that we can recognise, appreciate and enjoy for decades to come. RSPB Garden Birds is a lavish celebration of 47 of our most frequent and familiar garden birds, and the final chapter looks at some of the less regular – but equally welcome – visitors. Detailed biographies outline each species' life history, distribution, behaviour and breeding habits, and an extensive introduction provides guidance on the general practicalities of garden birdwatching and managing a wildlife garden. Featuring more than 200 spectacular photographs revealing every detail of our garden birds' appearance and behaviour, this book will appeal to anyone who has discovered their love of wildlife through watching the birds in their garden.

A heavily designed and stunning look at the many birds of the sky--perfect for fans of Botanicum. From the bitter cold polar regions to the lush tropics, birds have found incredible ways to adapt and survive anywhere. White-winged diuca finches nest high upon freezing glaciers and mightly peregrine falcons circle skyscrapers in busy cities. Look up! What birds can do is extraordinary. The statuesque golden eagle spots prey from miles away. You can tell what time of day an owl hunts by looking at the color of its eyes. With its long, muscular legs, the secretary bird has a powerful kick that is enough to kill large prey like snakes and hares. Discover which bird is the fastest, the smallest, the smartest, the most colorful and more in this nonfiction compendium, complete with descriptions from wildlife expert Miranda Krestovnikoff and stunning linocuts from artist Angela Harding.

The bestselling RSPB Handbook of British Birds is the most comprehensive reference for birdwatchers of all levels of interest and experience. Now in its fifth edition, it remains the most accessible field guide to more than 300 bird species likely to be encountered in Britain and Ireland. Alongside artworks depicting all common plumages, the detailed text describes each bird's behaviour, habitat, voice, breeding biology, longevity and seasonal movements, as well as other useful information. The guide also includes UK population trends and up-to-date distribution maps. Completely revised and updated, this fifth edition also features new artwork and comparison spreads, additional rarities, the most recent taxonomic order, as well as each species' conservation status, a summary of the threats UK species are currently facing and details of what conservationists are doing to help.

A picture book about garden birds that will appeal to families with young children. Each bird is introduced on a right-hand page in an illustration where it is partly obscured or turned away from the viewer. The text gives some clues and invites readers to guess the bird's identity. The reader then turns the page to find out more.

A compact, lightweight and informative guide to 215 of the UK's most common birds. Featuring 950 colour illustrations and 215 up-to-date colour distribution maps, this new edition of RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds showcases 215 bird species regularly seen in the UK. Each species is illustrated in all distinct plumage forms likely to be observed in the wild, and includes concise and succinct descriptions, with details on identification, calls and song, habitat, distribution and behaviour. Along with helpful distribution maps, the species accounts also feature confusion species, with their most important and easily noted differences described. Portable and easy-to-use, RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds is the perfect guide for use in the field.

Do you know that rabbits eat their own poo? That butterflies taste with their feet? Or that starfish aren't actually fish? This trusty companion guide uncovers all the mysteries of the extraordinary wildlife that surrounds us. From gorgeous foxgloves and strong oaks to wild foxes and slow snails, get ready to find out about over 195 different animals, plants and other wildlife. There are so many wonderful living things to meet in this children's spotter's field guide, published in collaboration with the RSPB, the largest wildlife conservation charity in Europe. You will learn what a butterfly's lifecycle looks like, what pretty flowers grow commonly in gardens and which mushrooms are best to steer clear from ... they may be poisonous! This guide covers all grounds when it comes to nature. Whether you're in a city park or on a walk in the woods, don't ever leave your RSPB Nature Guide: Wildlife at home! Includes wildlife watcher tips; activities to try such as being an animal detective and a wildlife checklist so you can tick off everything you spot! With beautiful illustrations by Kate McLelland throughout, this is the perfect contemporary pocket guide for young wildlife watchers in-the-making and adult nature enthusiasts alike. The second title in the RSPB Nature Guide series, following Birds.

Robins is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos and succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable expert. Our most iconic bird, the Robin, is one of the most characterful and familiar of all our garden visitors. Their melodious voices, bright red breasts and cheeky attitudes always endear them to us, but how much do we really know about them? Despite their cute appearance, Robins are aggressively territorial and hold their territories all year. Their year-round presence has helped them become a beloved and instantly recognisable species. In this delightful book, Marianne Taylor provides a revealing account of their life cycle, behaviour and breeding, what they eat and how they hold their territories, and she looks into the many cultural representations of these much-loved little birds. The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviour of our favourite animals.