Flight Identification of European Passerines and Select Landbirds An Illustrated and Photographic Guide (WILDGuides)- Book Review

This time of year has me up early, in the garden or local patch on sunny autumn mornings, eyes to the skies, looking for visibly migrating birds. This is known in the birding world as ‘Viz Migging’ and this book is the Viz Migging Bible! Often the birds are high up and obviously seen from underneath, so I have taken to firing off a load of photographs then (hoping at least one is in focus!) referring to this excellent book. The majority of my photos can’t compare to the superb images and illustrations in the book but it’s great fun trying. It’s also an invaluable tool for getting to grips with less common species. I’m a great advocate of new and novice birders getting to know the common birds first, that way, when something out of the ordinary flies over you will be able to eliminate the ones you know and concentrate on narrowing down what else it could be. The book has great explanations about flight patterns and flock structure, all useful information for use in the field. If you like to record sound, there are also sonograms of the calls to compare with your own recordings. In conclusion, this is a valuable addition to the bird library, very usable in the field and extremely readable on autumn nights! To get your copy, click on the link below:

The first of its kind, a richly illustrated, cutting-edge field guide for identifying European passerines in flight. This is the first field guide for identifying European passerines in flight, with over 1,850 stunning colour illustrations by acclaimed bird artist Tomasz Cofta, who creates remarkably lifelike images using the latest digital technology. This cutting-edge book features a seamlessly integrated approach with detailed coverage of 206 passerines and 32 near-passerine landbirds. It combines Cofta’s precise illustrations of key shape and coloration features with a variety of photos for each species showing how they appear in flight. The species accounts are brief, to-the-point, and authoritative, with essential information on individual flight style and flock structure and behaviour presented succinctly.