Spot-on guide for shorebird spotters

I WAS impressed with The Shorebirds of Ireland, recently published by The Collins Press, a beautifully-produced treasury of well-written, informative text by Jim Wilson, with a gallery of wonderful bird photographs by Mark Carmody.

I cannot think of any book that presents the world of Ireland’s shoreline birds so well.

We have a shoreline longer than that of France or Spain; nowhere in Ireland is further than two hours drive from the sea. For the avid or amateur birder, the shoreline waders are easy to watch, feeding on the bare sand flats or mud flats. Binoculars bring them closer. Their visibility works to advantage in both cases: we see them but, ever wary, they can also see us. The gulls are easy to spot in the air. Although I am fortunate to live beside an estuary and see these birds every day, the text and pictures of The Shorebirds of Ireland presents them in a new, more vivid light. As with many creatures, the more we know of them, the more fascinating they become.