Customer Reviews

Birds of Europe

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This field guide has been awaited with excitement (already having existed in Swedish and Danish for a year or so) - now I know why. I have seen a huge variety of field guides, but this is simply the best yet. It covers Europe (east of Ural), Northern Africa (north of ca. 30 degrees north), and the Middle East (e.g. Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia and so on). Also included is the islands of the Canaries and Madeira. All species naturally occurring (and several species not considered to be native) in this area are included. The only exception being a number of species only recorded a few times (usually meaning ones or twice) in the area. These rarities are included in a list. The species are dealt with taxonomically, and each group (e.g. Swans) starts with a short (or long in the "hard-to-id" groups) introduction. Each species has a text which I can only refer to as perfect. All relevant information is included (id, habitat, voice etc.). Also included is a map. However, the truly incredible thing is the drawings. Not only are they precise, they also include all kinds of plumage's and positions (often shown in a natural habitat as you would see it in the nature) that you could only wish for in most guides. Arrows (with a short and simple text) point at features of the birds especially important for identification. A thing most (if not all?) will find great is that the drawings are placed next to the text (and map) - no more endless going through pages. Incredibly it is still a handy guide. This is the field guide for the beginner as well as the pro. Sorry, I'm not able to find any bad things to say about this guide.

This book covers all of the European birds and lots potential visitors. There are good plates showing variations in plumage. Field marks are pointed out on the plate, which greatly reduces potential confusion. Thin lines separate species on the plates, making it easier to know what you are looking at on some of the more crowded plates. Text and range maps are opposite the plates and are quite detailed with further field marks, habitat information, identification tips, and detailed discussion of voice. The important characteristics are in italics which make them easier to find in the very small print. The information is incredibly thourough, especially for a book of this size. Attention is also paid to hybrids ducks and identification skills for gulls and waders. The range maps are clear with migration areas also marked. The guide is small enough for use in the field, well organized, and easy to use. The only major drawback of this guide is that the type is very small, but the plates and the information it contains more than make up for this problem.

If only there were so good guides for every other region of the world!!!! It is simply the best guide I've ever had. It ^has very good paintings and perfect descriptions. Impossible to miss one identification with that. And it's also not so heavy to transport, so you can easily bring it to the field. BUY IT!!!!

More experienced birders can tell you more about the technical wonders of this book -- they are many, and in short you should buy it! As a beginning birder but a more experienced traveller, however, I can tell you that this is a fabulous resource to have along, even if you are just generally curious about nature in the places you visit.

This guide covered EVERY region in a recent cruise from the most western to the most eastern points on the Mediterranean, inlcuding many islands. It was terrifically easy to figure out which birds were likely candidates for each sighting -- and each time of year.

Getting to know an area is more than having a favorite restaurant and knowing how to get from one point to the next. Recognizing the creatures around, and maybe even getting to know their songs, will bring you even further into a new place. This book is exhaustive yet accessible, and will really help you "get there."

This book emerged onto a highly competitive market already burgeoning with numerous field guides covering the region, most by renowned authors and many having benefitted from improvement over several editions. Quite simply though, this book won instant recognition as the best field guide available for Europe - and perhaps a model for field guides everywhere. Its authors are well known experts in their field having spent many years studying and publishing on the birds of the region. However, the key to the guide's success is the fact that so much more useful information has been condensed into a guide which is much the same size as existing books. The book boasts excellent illustrations, succinct text and handy maps, all presented on a the same page. Small enough to fit into a pocket (about the same size as the National Geographic guide) and cheap, it is a must for anyone visiting Europe. As one reviewer has already pointed out, it is indispensable in Alaska too - not just for Palaearctic vagrants, but for regular shorebirds and some residents. Don't hesitate!

This is by far the best field guide I've come across. The illustrations are more refined, more detailed and - in my mind - more lifelike than in any other fuild guide. And there are so many of them! There are male and female, juvenile and adult, on-land and in-flight pictures of almost every species. Svensson covers a larger area than is usual for a 'european birds' guide: he includes many Middle Eastern and Northern African species. The maps, pictures and text are conveniently located on the same page. Only one drawback: some of the rarer species don't have an accompanying map.

This is what a field guide ought to be.

Text is opposite the drawings. The field marks are emphasised, with color drawings big and detailed enough to be useful.

Good range maps are on the same page. Range maps include breeding, migration and winter distribution.

This field guide also covers a good portion of the Middle East--including Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It also includes North Africa.

The single deficiency is that abundancy symbols are given only for Great Britain and Ireland.

The text is lively, clear and points out helpful habits and behaviors.

Every bird field guide should be organized in this fashion. It is a perhaps 4 1/2 but for usefulness and size it fully merits a 5.

A super guide, and the newest English edition based on a Swedish original which has been translated into 13 languages and which has sold nearly three-quarters of a million copies.

Quality is the highest of any guide I've seen. Colors are true (If color is off, identification may be impossible.) The print, although small, is clear and easy to read (An exasperating number of sightings seem to occur at dusk or dawn.) and the paper is high-grade (If the book goes outside it's eventually going to get wet.)

Svensson compresses a tremendous amount into the text, and along with taxonomy and terminology, the tight, 6-page introduction offers a wealth of practical advice. The distribution maps extend well beyond Europe to the east and also take in much of North Africa. They are small, however, and unfortunately the abundance symbols, often a useful tool, are limited to England and Ireland. There's a great section at the back on vagrants and accidentals.

Mullarney's and Zetterstrom's illustrations are truly excellent and also in a class of their own. They often give multiple depictions on the ground and in-flight, both from above and below, along with examples of slight coloring variations. (Don't even think about buying a guide with photographs -- a good illustration is "truer" than a photo and far, far, far easier to use.)

The downside is the quality of the book may limit its usefulness in the field. The amount of information and the profusion of illustrations make it nearly twice the size (and weight) of good older guides (now out of print) and it's maybe 10-times bigger than pocket guides.

If you're going to put it on a bookshelf or pigeon-hole it in a Volvo or Land Rover along with a magnum set of binoculars, that won't matter. For a Cinquecento? A tight fit. If it needs to go in a purse, carry-on, suitcase, knapsack, backpack, saddlebags or bicycle panniers? I'd still buy it, but I'd also get a pocket guide and leave this one home or back at base-camp for later reference. Anyway, it's the kind of book it would be a shame to see beaten up.

This is as good a general single source birding book I've used in 40 years of travel in Europe. Pictures and descriptions are good with enough critical detail to be truly useful as a field guide. Some will find the maps too small. For those people I'd suggest more detailed localized guides available most everywhere in Europe. They will cross reference to this one.

If you need ONE birdwatching guide for Europe, I highly recommend this one. It is comprehensive, it has rich information (including, of course, habitat and maps), and the illustrations are absolutely a delight to watch. Most birdwatching guides are illustrated by mediocre artists. Not this one. It is worth its price even if you do not care about birdwatching and you just like wildlife art. The many little illustrations showing birds in their own habitat are simply beautiful, and are a nice change from the standard "bird on uniform background" which are the standard for BW guides. From an artistic point of view, it's even better than Sibley's guide to the bird of North America (the one guide I recommend for the US). The book is not one of the lightest, but it's small enough that it's not much of a burden to bring it with you (it's smaller and lighter than Sibley). This is a wonderful book, certainly superior to other field guides such as the old Peterson Mountford and Hollom, which will of course remain a classic. Highly highly recommended!

P.S. If you buy this guide now, make sure you purchase the SECOND edition, which at the time of writing this PS just came out.