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| Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe | 
 enlarge | Authors: Lars Svensson, Peter J. Grant
Creators: Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterstrom, David Christie
Publisher: Collins
Category: Book
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £7.98
You Save: £9.01 (53%)
New (24) from £7.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 2539
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 412
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0007113323
Dewey Decimal Number: 598
EAN: 9780007113323
ASIN: 0007113323
Publication Date: April 2, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Forget the rest - THIS IS the best August 22, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Having previously purchased other reference bird books, they just didnt give the reader exactly what you need to positively identify the adults/ juvenile of each species until I came upon this one.
Being a Collins, you expect and get quality, the description and artist drawings of the bird sexes are superb (if a little small) and the added comments to ease identification when in flight vastly surpasses any other book I have seen.
In brief, don't do what I have done and now have a bookshelf of inferior books, just buy THIS ONE and keep it as your main reference source and get a good field guide for being out there.
Simply the Best. July 21, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
It is without doubt the bible of birding in Europe.
By a paperback edition and then hunt down the A4 edition. Happy hunting.
Harder than a Duponts Lark to track down!!!!!
Excellent Book and Great Value at the Moment July 18, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book is a little large to carry while out and about and I have mentioned one or two other books in my reviews that are better suited to slipping into the pocket when going out for the day. These smaller books are great for getting an ID, then when you return home something like this book will give you even more information about the species you have spotted.
I agree that photographs can be very nice particularly in large format books but a good drawing can give far more detail about juvenile and adult plumage etc. The book also goes into detail with maps about the areas in which the birds are likely to be found, size, habitat etc., in fact virtually everything you need to know about each species.
There are many many excellent bird books about at the moment. New printing techniques and use of lots of colour has improved the books no end, but this is as good as any of them.
Proabably the best bird guide in the world July 9, 2007
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
If you looking for a guide to help identify the birds you will see in Britain or Western Europe this is it.
***Buy this book before you consider buying any other bird guide***
Why?
Firstly you should never buy a bird guide that uses just photographs to show the birds. Take my word for it they will never in one photograph be able to show perfectly every feature required for correct id or capture colour variations accurately. The illustrations in this book show every detail perfectly, highlighting the relevant features, showing similar species together, covering male/female/juvenile plumages where necessary and importantly in accurate colour.
2, The descriptions are superb, every distinguishing plumage or vocal detail covered, telling you exactly what you need to know.
3, Useful detail is given about the status of the species, whether it is resident, a migratory visitor or a rare vagrant.
4, Maps showing likely range of each bird are shown, including colour detail that shows whether it is likely to be present all-year, winter or summer.
In summary this is a monumental effort by the authors to create the perfect bird guide in book form. As the owner of dozens of bird guides, I can say this is as close as I have seen.
I repeat, you should buy this before buying any other Bird Guide.
A copy of this book and a good audio guide to songs and calls is all you should need to identify the vast majority of birds you will see in the area covered by it.
 Where are the recipes? May 31, 2007
7 out of 40 found this review helpful
An excellent book which really aids identification. It's let down very slightly by the lack of recipes for these birds. Still, I've a Cretan cookery book which has a recipe for "6 thrushes" and an Indian one for heron, so I'll begin with those!
Clive
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