The Birds
of Shetland
NOW AVAILABLE FROM BOOKSHOPS OR ONLINE
Over £1400 in royalties shared between Shetland Bird
Club and FIBO, so far.
3rd place,
British Birds/BTO Bird Book of the Year Competition 2004
'Because of Shetland’s isolated geographical
position in Europe, its avifauna is of special interest far beyond the
local context. It is therefore pleasing to see a thorough and
authoritative new work, compiled by a ‘dream team’ of Shetland bird
experts. The accounts even for apparently mundane species such as Magpie
and Bullfinch take on a special significance, giving new insights into the
movements of birds across wide stretches of open sea. Though lacking
distribution maps, the book is well written and presented. We especially
liked the emphasis on people involved in Shetland ornithology, in Mike
Pennington’s introductory chapter and throughout the species accounts.'
Shortlisted,
Birdwatch Bird Book of the Year Competition 2004
'The tireless and sometimes thankless work of
local recorders lay behind the best county avifauna we have seen for
years, for one of the best birding regions in Britain. The authors' effort
and vision in transforming such a great mass of data into this fascinating
and readable account is quite staggering - Birds of Shetland has
become the standard to which all subsequent books of this genre must
aspire.'
Extracts from
published reviews
'... probably the fullest account of Shetland birds
that could possible be documented ... beautifully coherent and accessible
... as close to perfection as any authors have yet managed, and it sets a
new benchmark for any county avifaunas that follow.' Birdwatch
'... very thorough account of Shetland’s birds
... [a] truly impressive county avifauna.'
British Birds
' ... a model and example for any would-be author of
a county avifauna, the best of its kind and it can be warmly recommended
to a wider readership.' Ibis
'... compiled by an expert team ... the detail and
accuracy is all here.' Birding World
'... one of the finest county avifaunas ever
produced ... quite simply, this is one of the best and most important
books on Scottish birds published to date.' Birding Scotland
'This timely book brings together a wealth of
knowledge into one carefully edited and organised volume ... an entirely
authoritative account of the birds of Shetland.' Scottish Bird
News
'... detailed, thorough and authoritative ... highly
recommended.' BTO News
'... hours of fascinating reading ... it deserves a place in every home. Simply buy it.'
Shetland Times
'... a massive review of Shetland's birds in this
impressive book.' Birds
' ... comprehensive and mouth watering ...
very interesting and easy to read ...' Fatbirder website
www.fatbirder.com
'... a tome to treasure ...' The Scots Magazine
'C'est désormais la source de référence
incontournable sur la oiseaux de la région [This is now the essential
reference on the birds of the region].' Ornithos
The Birds of Shetland has been produced by a seven-strong team
and unlike all
previous publications, the book covers the whole of the county of
Shetland, including Fair Isle.
A very rare photograph of the seven authors -
left to right Mike Pennington, Pete Ellis, Dave Okill, Kevin Osborn, Paul
Harvey, Roger Riddington and Martin Heubeck
Those of you with long memories may remember
word of a book on the birds of Shetland being talked about for many years.
It was actually 1955 when the last book appeared (the Venables’ Birds
and Mammals of Shetland) and there have been three previous attempts
to get an updated book off the ground: by Iain Robertson and Pete Kinnear
in the 1970s, Paul Harvey, Martin Heubeck and Bobby Tulloch in the 1980s,
and an early version of the current project, with a similar list of
contributors, in the 1990s.
The Birds of Shetland is being produced
independently but with data derived principally from the work of
Shetland Bird Club and Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust.
Royalties will be divided between these two organisations.
Nature in Shetland
