The Birds of Clackmannanshire

The Birds of Clackmannanshire, published by the Central Scotland Branch of the SOC, is the culmination of several years of dedicated fieldwork by numerous volunteers mapping the breeding and wintering distribution of the 'Wee County's' diverse birdlife.
The 236-page landmark book should prove an essential reference tool for council planners and environment bodies; with species mapped at the relatively fine scale of a kilometre square, the results will allow for the precise targeting of conservation action and will act as a baseline for monitoring future changes in bird populations locally.
Edited by Neil Bielby, Keith Broomfield and John Grainger, the authors hope The Birds of Clackmannanshire will inspire and encourage readers to take a greater interest in the county's birds, most usefully by becoming involved in recording and conservation efforts locally.
Readers should also enjoy viewing the high-class imagery and art work that embellishes the text throughout. Eleven of the finest bird illustrators working in Scotland today were involved in the project, alongside several photographers.

RSPB Handbook of Scottish Birds: Second Edition

The RSPB Handbook of Scottish Birds is the ideal reference for keen birdwatchers and visitors to Scotland alike, and this fully updated second edition is richer and more comprehensive than ever. Over 250 species are covered in detail with each account including information on identification, voice, habits, habitat, food, breeding, ecology, seasonal movements, population and conservation. More than 1,000 superb colour illustrations by some of the world's leading bird artists are integrated into the text for easy reference. This second edition features newly added Gaelic names, updated distribution maps, and also incorporates the latest information on the conservation status of each species.

Birds in Scotland 

This impressively comprehensive study and review of the birds in Scotland by Valerie Thom, editor of Scottish Birds and past-President of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club, may be said to follow on where the celebrated two volumes of The Birds of Scotland (1953), by Dr Baxter and Miss Rintoul, left off. It does more than that, however, since not only has there been a profound increase in ornithological coverage and data (as reflected in the species accounts), there have also been great changes in habitat and environment since the days of Baxter & Rintoul. These aspects form the themes of the ten preliminary chapters reviewing the Scottish scene today in terms of habitat, conservation, birdwatching and the changes in species status and distribution. The species accounts, the backbone of the book, review the period 1950-83 but include, where practicable, records of rarities and details of counts up to the spring of 1985; there are also brief summaries of earlier data based on the researches of Baxter & Rintoul. In all, 497 species are dealt with.

Handbook of Scottish Birds

In this new book, the text, maps and plates of the bestselling RSPB Handbook of British Birds have been adapted to create a brand new book specific to Scotland and its rich birdlife. Over 250 species are covered in detail with a page per species. The species accounts include concise information on identification, voice, habits, habitat, food, breeding ecology, seasonal movements, population and conservation. Detailed maps have been specially created to show distribution when breeding, wintering or on migration. Superb colour illustrations from some of the world's leading artists have been integrated into the text for easy reference.

Birds of Scotland - Volumes 1 and 2

Evelyn V. Baxter and Leonora Jeffrey Rintoul.
Hardback; Two volumes.1953.Volume 1&2 763pp.Colour frontis (vol 1) of Scottish Crossbill and Red Grouse (vol 2 )by G.E.Lodge.

Numerous black and white photographs and colour fold out map .Superb, landmark publications.

• Publisher : Oliver & Boyd (1 Dec. 1953)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 818 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0050007181
• ISBN-13 : 978-0050007181

The Birds of Scotland

The Birds of Scotland is the definitive book on the birds of Scotland. It is the third in a line of Scottish avifaunas, following in the footsteps of the Misses Baxter and Rintoul's 1953 `The Birds of Scotland' and Valerie Thom's 1986 `Birds in Scotland'.

In two full-colour A4 hardback volumes, containing 1,632 pages, this encyclopaedia of Scottish birds is written by 157 experts and edited by a team of nine editors led by Ron Forrester and Ian Andrews. All 514 species ever seen in Scotland are included, from the all-important breeding species and winter visitors to the regular migrants and one-off vagrants that combine to make the Scottish avifauna so varied. Each species is allocated between one and six pages with at least one photograph of the species taken in Scotland (or artwork, if no photograph is available). The significance of Scottish populations is placed in context, and threats and gaps in our knowledge are highlighted. Extinctions, colonisations and the ups and downs of many species illustrate the ever-changing nature of our avifauna stretching back through the 200 years of documented ornithology.

Wild venture: A bird-watcher in Scotland

Kenneth Richmond. Kenneth Richmond, well known as an ornithologist, calls Scotland a happy hunting ground for the bird-watcher. Certainly he has found it so, and in Wild Venture he conveys his enjoyment to the reader so keenly that before many pages have been read, we feel ourselves alongside him on his exciting adventures. For Mr Richmond has a very keen eye for his subject and the freshness of his descriptive style makes this a delightful book for the country-lover as well as the more seriously intentioned bird-watcher. Starting with the grandest of British birds the Golden Eagle, he goes on to describe the many other species of birds he has watched in Scotland, ranging from the impressive Capercaillie to the diminutive, but no less distinguished Red-necked Phalarope. 

Scotland's Birds of Prey

This book takes a fascinating look at some of Scotland s most charismatic birds. Full of facts and up to date descriptions of all the popular species, there are also tips on the best locations to see them in the wild. Scotland s iconic birds of prey are treated to a page spread each with detailed images and an informative overview of each bird. There is a fact panel with each page giving a quick and easy to read summary of each bird. All of this is complimented by stunning photographic illustrations of the birds in their natural habitat.

Birds of Prey in a Changing Environment

Birds of prey are among the most fascinating and exciting of animals to observe and study. As predators they are at the heart of some of the most contentious conservation issues of the day. This book reflects this interest and presents substantial new data drawn from studies by professional and amateur ornithologists.

Although this book focuses on birds of prey in the UK, it also includes work undertaken in Spain, France and Iceland. Taken as a whole, this is a remarkable collection of papers which will appeal to bird watchers, researchers, land managers, decision makers and the general public.

In Search of Birds in the Scottish Highlands

Publisher : Artery Publications; 1st Edition. (1 Nov. 1990)

• Language : English
• Paperback : 96 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0951390910
• ISBN-13 : 978-0951390917

Guide to the Birds of Scotland

Eric Hardy. Birdwatchers flock to Scotland in increasing numbers to see many birds not normally accessible elsewhere in Britain-nesting Ospreys, eagles, rare grebes, snow buntings, shore larks and huge seabird colonies-or to find new British species, especially in Shetland. This guide to modern bird haunts and recent changes (1978) in Scottish bird-distribution, the first since Kenneth Richmond's pioneer 1968 regional guide to the Birds of Scotland (see below) ,has a much more extensive coverage of the counties, arranged under the new regions and island districts. residents and visitors will find an all-year-round reference from summer nesting haunts to migration watching points and winter flocks and roosts.

Scotland’s Minister for Ornithology: Rare & Unpublished Papers

The Rev. John Morell McWlliam was one of the great characters of the Scottish bird world and first Honorary President of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club. He is best known as the author of the much sought-after The Birds of the Island of Bute and The Birds of the Firth of Clyde (also now available as ebooks).

Fellow founders of the SOC affectionately called McWilliam “Scotland’s Minister for Ornithology” and that’s the title given to this new collection of rare papers and notes from publications like The Zoologist, British Birds and Scottish Naturalist. The ebook also includes fascinating extracts from his bird notebooks as well as a previously unpublished and often hilarious autobiography.

Of special interest is a lengthy paper from 1945 describing McWilliam’s discovery of the world’s 21st gannetry at the Scar Rocks in the Solway Firth.

Scotland's Nature and Wildlife

• Publisher : Lomond Books (1 Jun. 2002)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 224 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1842040251
• ISBN-13 : 978-1842040256

Bird Artist in Scotland

Donald Watson's paintings of the landscape and birds of Scotland have been a source of delight for many years. In this attractive book he describes his passion for birds from childhood years in rural Surrey through military service among exotic species in Burma during the second world war to his post-war years birding on Scotland's moorland and islands before settling in Galloway, where he remained. Serious birdwatchers will remember Donald Watson's outstanding books, Birds of moor and mountain, The Hen Harrier and one pair of Eyes etc.
Hardback;144pp.colour & b/w plates. .1988

The status and Distribution of Wild Geese and Wild Duck in Scotland

ASIN : B001TXMIV6

• Publisher : Cambridge University Press (1 Jan. 1939)

The Scottish Ospreys: From Extinction to Survival

Philip Brown forward by George Waterston. 'Man has done his best, incredibly, to drive the osprey from the shores of Scotland. For over forty years the osprey was forced into exile and few ornithologists before the Second World War thought this magnificent bird would nest in the British Isles ever again. Philip Brown examines the reasons behind the senseless persecution in the nineteenth century and historical drawings are reproduced to emphasise the attitudes of the day. It wasn't until Operation Osprey was launched in the early 1950's under the auspices of the Royal Society for the protection of Birds, that a few dedicated pioneers began fervently to believe that the osprey would return. All the excitements and frustrations which led up to the first successful hatching of two osprey chicks in 1954 are described from first-hand experience. The struggle for survival of subsequent breeding pairs and the problems involved in their protection are told with refreshing modesty and humour. Today, thousands of people each year visit the most popular eyrie at Loch Garten as the osprey continues to flourish in Scotland'.
.Hardback.

Ospreys in Speyside

ASIN : B0000CP5UH

• Publisher : The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; 2nd ed edition (1 Jan. 1969)
• Paperback : 40 pages

Birds and Flowers of the Castle of Mey and Balmoral

Publisher : Northumbria University Press; Illustrated edition (16 Dec. 2003)

• Language : English
• Hardcover : 128 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1904794017
• ISBN-13 : 978-1904794011
• Dimensions : 25.4 x 1.7 x 33.02 cm
• 
  

Where the World is Quiet

Roland Williams. In this unusual and interesting book the author tells the story of his travels to distant and beautiful places, enjoying his hobby of watching and photographing birds. His enthusiasm is infectious, the places he visits are far from the noise of cities; terns in Iceland, kittiwakes and razorbills in Skye, skuas and wheatears in Shetland and redpolls and buntings in Lapland. Throughout the book the reader can share in the joy and pleasure the author has derived from his journeys, and appreciate his concerns at the new man-made dangers that confront wildlife both on land and at sea

The Distribution of Seabirds and Marine Mammals in the Atlantic Frontier, North and West of Scotland

• Publisher : Joint Nature Conservation Committee (31 Dec. 2000)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 92 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1861075057
• ISBN-13 : 
• 978-1861075055
• 
  

Birds in Wigtownshire: A guide to their status and distribution

165 page hardback .Best birding areas. species accounts, Black & white photographs. Map. Colour photograph of Hen Harrier young.

• Publisher : G.C. Book Publishers (1 Jan. 1992)
• Hardcover : 165 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1872350356
• ISBN-13 : 978-1872350356

Birds in Kintyre: Areas of Special Ornithological Importance

• Publisher : Peninsula Wildlife Publications (1 Sept. 1996)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 75 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0952900009
• ISBN-13 : 978-0952900009

Birds of mid-Argyll

48 page paperback published by Saker press.1992. Sites featured include;-
Glen Nant
Loch Nell
Crinan Canal / River Add Estuary
Taynish NNR
Loch Sween and others
Excellent site guide with the usual excellent illustrations by Philip Snow.

Birds of Argyll

This title represents the culmination of the Argyll Bird Club's documentation of numbers and distribution of the birds of Argyll in a systematic way. A celebration of Argyll's birds and an invaluable contribution to their conservation and the the effective managment of their habitats. The information presented in this title will help to inform conservation practices and land management activities to those who take decisions about land use planning and management. Maps, colour photographs, b/w illustrations, 424pp. 2007

The Birds of Mid-Argyll, Kintyre & Cowal

• ASIN : B003YFRXXU
• Publisher : Droineach Press (1 Jan. 1985)

Highlands - Scotland's Wild Heart 

Birds of Islay (Helm Field Guides)

Islay is the most southerly island of the Hebrides lying 24 kilometres from Kintyre on mainland Britain, across the approaches to the Sound of Jura. It has an area of 615 square kilometres. For this book, the author presents a collation of facts about the birds and some ways in which they interact with human aspirations. The main part of this book is based on the ornithological records accumulated by C.Gordon Booth from 1968 to 1985. Accounts of the occurrence of both regular and vagrant birds seen here together with migration, the history of habitats and the problems of conservation in association with the island community are also discussed.

Birds of Islay: A Celebration in Photographs

This book of beautiful colour photographs by Gordon Langsbury, one of Britain's leading bird photographers, was published in March 2006. It is in large (A4 landscape) format and contains 160 pages with nearly 180 photographs of all Islay's breeding and regular wintering and passage species. An introduction and the extended captions are by Malcolm Ogilvie, an ornithologist resident on Islay for the last 20 years.

The Birds of Mid-Argyll, Kintyre & Cowal

• ASIN : B003YFRXXU
• Publisher : Droineach Press (1 Jan. 1985)

Highlands - Scotland's Wild Heart 

Birds of Islay (Helm Field Guides)

Islay is the most southerly island of the Hebrides lying 24 kilometres from Kintyre on mainland Britain, across the approaches to the Sound of Jura. It has an area of 615 square kilometres. For this book, the author presents a collation of facts about the birds and some ways in which they interact with human aspirations. The main part of this book is based on the ornithological records accumulated by C.Gordon Booth from 1968 to 1985. Accounts of the occurrence of both regular and vagrant birds seen here together with migration, the history of habitats and the problems of conservation in association with the island community are also discussed.

Birds of Islay: A Celebration in Photographs

This book of beautiful colour photographs by Gordon Langsbury, one of Britain's leading bird photographers, was published in March 2006. It is in large (A4 landscape) format and contains 160 pages with nearly 180 photographs of all Islay's breeding and regular wintering and passage species. An introduction and the extended captions are by Malcolm Ogilvie, an ornithologist resident on Islay for the last 20 years.

Birds of the Outer Hebrides report

A systematic list of the birds observed in the Outer Hebrides during the years 2008 to 2010. The report also includes a review of 2008-10, a ringing report, early and late dates for migrants and a list of observers and contributors. Illustrated throughout with sketches and drawings by local artists plus a variety of photographs.

Birds of Tiree and Coll

This book provides an up-to-date and user-friendly account of all 271 bird species recorded on the wildlife-rich islands of Coll and Tiree in the Scottish Inner Hebrides.

Mike Madders and Philip Snow. Outlining best birding sites on this fabulous island.Paperback,48pp.Maps,access etc. Illustrations and systematic list to Mull.
*Try Iona for easy views of Corncrake. Turn right after ferry landing and listen at first set-aside field below hotel.

• ASIN : B0014BDNP8
• Publisher : David Douglas; 1st edition (1 Jan. 1890)
• Hardcover : 296 pages

Birdwatching on Mull and Iona: A Pocket Guide with Maps

• Publisher : Brown & Whittaker (6 Dec. 2010)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 40 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1904353142
• ISBN-13 : 978-1904353140
• Dimensions : 21 x 0.3 x 12.5 cm

A Curlew in the Foreground

A world of wind and rain. Dazzling white beaches and skies of flawless blue. The essence of North Uist lies in its extremes. The great beauty of the landscape contrasts with the ugliness of the townships; the uninhabited desolation of the moorlands, one of the few wilderness areas left in Britain, and the vivacity of the machair and croftlands, studded with flowers teeming with bird life. The weather demonstrates the fundamental extremes of storm and calm.
When the author arrives on the island to warden the RSPB reserve for the season, he is at first repelled and then enhanced by the watery horizontals of the landscape, the unpredictability of the climate and the distinctive island community of the crofters. With growing enthusiasm he explores the western beaches where thousands of waders pick among sand worms and deep-sea kelps left by the huge Atlantic seas; rare migrants come storm-blown to find rest and shelter on the rocky headlands.
In an atmospheric evocation of the island, its close knit community of crofters and its abundant wildlife, the author defines its quintessential qualities, and shares with us a summer idyll.

Light and Flight: A Hebridean Wildlife and Landscape Sketchbook

This is a collection of nearly 250 watercolours celebrating
the beauty and wonder of the landscape and wildlife of the Hebrides. This
book will be a source of inspiration for artists and lovers of the natural
world.
From the cliffs of the Butt of Lewis to the granite outpost of Ailsa Craig,
Philip Snow has captured in his stunning watercolours the whole coastline
of the Hebrides. His studies of birds are the product of a lifetime of
observation in the field. Most of his pictures come with field notes and
anecdotes that transport the reader to the world of soaring eagles and
rasping corncrakes. No other book has presented the rich wildlife of the
islands so intimately and with such skill.

Island Eagles

• Publisher : Cartwheeling P.; 1st edition (1 July 1999)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 160 pages
• ISBN-10 : 095360330X
• ISBN-13 : 978-0953603305

Skye Birds: An Illustrated Guide



This is the first publication dedicated exclusively to the birds of Skye. Although the importance of the island group for Golden Eagles, and more recently White-tailed Eagles, is well recognised, the fact that Skye supports a wide diversity of bird life has largely gone unnoticed. A total of 238 different species have been recorded, and 14 of these are red listed. The book analyses records from the last 125 years, and provides a systematic list, plus information on status and distribution.

There are additional chapters on habitats, conservation issues, and historical figures such as the Rev. Hugh Macpherson of Glendale, and Seton Gordon, who in different ways were influential in the development of ornithological knowledge of the island. A chapter is dedicated to areas of special interest to birdwatchers

 The Birds of the West of Scotland

• ASIN : B00086YW6O
• Publisher : Thomas Murray & Son; First Edition (1 Jan. 1871)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 520 pages

The Birds of the Island of Bute

Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde, with a great variety of habitats and an extraordinarily rich bird life.

A guide to bird watching in the Clyde area

The guide includes an article on Clyde Area Habitats and is sponsored by Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB and Glasgow Natural History Society. The black and white art work at the beginning of each section is by Thelma Sykes. There are also sketch maps based on Ordnance Survey maps.

Birds of North Rona and Sula Sgeir

• Publisher : Joint Nature Conservation Committee (1 Jan. 1989)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 48 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0861394771
• ISBN-13 : 
• 978-0861394777
• 
  

The Breeding Birds of Caithness

This unique comprehensive guide to the breeding birds of Caithness (Scotland) is the result of fifteen years field work, together with records from local bird reports, and compiled by the author to produce a rare insight into the nesting locations and habits of the birds of mainland Britain's most northerly county.
169 pages. Colour and b/w photographs. line drawings. Full status.

Highland Sketchbook: Year in Glen Esk

Using an evocative mixture of diary entries, drawings and paintings, this book takes the reader on a year-long journey through Glen Esk in the foothills of the eastern Grampian mountains. Month by month, wildlife artist Derek Robertson charts his travels up from the rolling terrain and picturesque valleys at the glen mouth to the ice-gouged corries and bleak summits at its head. En route, the author portrays the history of the region as the seasons progress - his chance encounters with the normally elusive badgers, wildcats and otters of the glen, his careful studies of its indigenous and migratory birds, and his sketches of its wide variety of plants, insects and rocks.

Highland birds

D.Nethersole- Thompson. Golden Eagle, Osprey and Snowy owls are probably the best known Highland birds. Others are equally exciting. Dotterel, ptarmigan and Snow Bunting nest on the high mountains; Scottish pine crossbills, Crested tits and Capercaillies are in the pine forest and divers and Slavonian grebes on hill lochs. The flows and marshes have Greenshanks and wood sandpipers and remote islands their whimbrels and skuas and Red-necked phalaropes and fork-tailed petrels...
Paperback;111 pp. Many fine colour & b/w photographs, maps

The Birds of the Firth of Clyde

Published in 1936, J. M. McWilliam’s sequel to The Birds of the Island of Bute covers the old counties of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Buteshire, Dumbartonshire and the southern half of Argyllshire, plus the city of Glasgow. While writing his book the author made numerous field trips from his manse in Govan to many parts of the Clyde area, and conducted an exhaustive search of references to Clyde birds in books and papers going as far back as the 16th century.

The republication of this classic work by McWilliam, one of the great characters of Scottish ornithology, includes as a bonus chapter a rare 1938 paper The Birds of Inchmarnock, a Clyde Island. An interactive Species List allows instant access to all of the book’s 251 species descriptions.

St. Kilda Summer.

Kenneth Williamson & J. Morton Boyd.1 st edition 1960.Hutchinson of London.224 pp. Black & white photographs and sketches with endpaper maps. Dust wrapper designed by Stephen Russ. Fascinating classic portrait of St Kilda, with much on seabirds. .

Birds of St. Kilda

32 page paperback A4 size publication.Black and white photographs excellent maps.Full status. Published 1978.

Island on the Edge of the World: The Story of St Kilda

For more than 2000 years the people of St Kilda remained remote from the world. Its society was viable, even Utopian; but in the nineteenth century the island was discovered by missionaries, do-gooders and tourists, who brought money, disease and despotism. St Kildan culture gradually disintegrated and in 1930 the few remaining islanders asked to be evacuated.

The Birds of Sutherland

Alan Vittery illustrated by Dave Pullan. Sutherland is best known by birdwatchers for some of Britain's rarest breeding birds, such as the Black-throated Diver, Greenshank and Common Scoter. Knowledge of the district's bird life has greatly increased in the last few years, and there has been changes in the population and distribution of many species. Alan Vittery's new guide provides up-to-date assessments of the status of nearly 300 species which have occurred in the district in recent times, with in-depth accounts, supported by descriptions of a typical year in Sutherland, as well as advice on the best sites for birdwatching.
Paperback;160pp.line drawings, maps etc.

Sutherland birds: A guide to the status

A beautifully illustrated book with both colour and black-and-white photographs and and drawings by various artists. As well as giving details of birds and where they are to be found there is an article on Orthinological Conservation in Sutherland by Stewart Angus. Stewart Angus (ed). Sutherland District is one of the most spectacular and varied areas of Britain, rich in both scenery and wildlife. The serious ornithologist and the curious beginner, the native and the visitor, will all welcome this publication, the first comprehensive account of the birds of Sutherland. Every species recorded in the 20th century is listed, together with some of the more interesting historical records,262 species in all. Details of the status and ecology are given each species or race, with additional information as appropriate.

Hardback;96pp.B/w and colour photographs,drawings.1983

The Birds of Badenoch and Strathspey

The British birdwatcher knows Strathspey and the Cairngorms as a five-star region for birds.It includes the very best remnants of the ancient Caledonian Forest, with beautiful lochs,rivers and the most outstanding mountains for wildlife.Home of the osprey,crested tit,capercaillie,dotterel and ptarmigan as well as Britain's only endemic bird, the Scottish Crossbill.237 different species have been recorded here and Roy Dennis's guide gives advice on birding, places to visit, and brings all records up to date (1995). Paperback

Birds of Badenoch and Strathspey

A description of the area detailing why it is a favoured venue for birds and hence bird-watchers, calling it a five star region. Sketch map of the area and one of Western Europe where ringed osprey from Scotland have been found. Brief details of species and their habitats.

The Birds of Moray and Nairn

Martin Cook.The Birds of Moray and Nairn is the first book to be written this century (20th) about the birdlife of these districts which contain some of the most exciting birdwatching habitats in Britain. It provides an up-to-date account of the occurrence and distribution of each of the 267 wild species recorded in the area. Many of these accounts are illustrated by maps, histograms and line drawings. Much historical information is included, as well as descriptions of the main bird habitats and a detailed guide to the best birdwatching localities. The results of bird ringing in Moray & Nairn are also summarised.
Paperback;263pp,1992.b/w photos, nice line drawings.
Paperback;160pp.line drawings, maps etc.

Isle of May

The Isle of May lying in the Firth of Forth has been renowned for over a century as outstandingly interesting to naturalists, especially as a station for the study of bird migration. Nobody is better qualified to write about the island than Dr. Eggeling of the Nature Conservancy who has known it since boyhood and who was closely associated with the founding of its Bird Observatory in 1934.Important though the Bird Observatory is, the interest of the book extends far beyond ornithology; Dr, Eggeling is a botanist as well as a zoologist and, as a result of his own work and that of many other experts who visited the island, our present knowledge of its natural history extends to all the easily visible types of plant and animal life; in fact there are few other parts of Scotland that have been scientifically explored in equal detail. The May has also a strong historical interest as the former site of a monastic settlement and as a place of pilgrimage. The book touches on all these aspects and succeeds admirably in conveying the charm of the Isle which draws a steady stream of visitors.
Hardback.

Return to One Man's Island: Paintings and Sketches from the Isle of May

Keith Brockie's One Man's Island: Paintings and Sketches from the Isle of May (1984), immediately became one of the bestselling Scottish natural history books of all time. The combination of breathtaking wildlife images with notes and background information, captured unforgettably the beauty of nature, and in particular that of the Isle of May, a little gem of an island in the Firth of Forth. Since then Brockie has constantly returned to the Isle of May. From April through to October of 2010 he stayed on the island, working intensively to produce an entirely new set of drawings and paintings. With his eye for colour and characteristic attention to detail he has produced a huge number of artworks, mixing depictions of the majestic peregrine and white-tailed eagle with sketches of fluffy eider ducklings and kittiwake chicks. All the natural history of the island is represented, from its delicate maritime flowers to fish, crabs and lobsters. Return to One Man's Island will be the publishing event of the year for those who loved Brockie's original Isle of May book, as well as a whole new generation of readers and lovers of wildlife painting.

The Fife Bird Atlas

• Publisher : Woodlands Studios (21 Dec. 2003)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 345 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0953932427
• ISBN-13 : 978-0953932429

Breeding Birds of South-East Scotland

• Publisher : Scottish Ornithologists' Club; First Edition (3 April 1998)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 372 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0951213911
• ISBN-13 : 978-0951213919

The Wildlife of Inchcolm: A Comprehensive Record of the Birds

• Publisher : Hillside; First Edition (1 May 2003)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 64 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0954476018
• ISBN-13 : 978-0954476014

Birds in north-east Scotland then and now 

Field observations mainly in the 1940s and comparison with recent records. Adam Watson as a schoolboy made field observations on birds in north-east Scotland during the 1940s and early 1950s. These are of special interest because hardly any local ornithologists lived there, and his main set of observations is published here for the first time. As well as accounts for all species seen, there is detailed information on several species whose status has changed greatly since: declines of breeding greenshanks and ring ouzels, and rapid increases in the proportions of feral doves and carrion crows. These and other observations form a useful baseline for comparison with what is now being seen and recorded by hundreds of ornithologists living in and visiting the area. Ian Francis came to north-east Scotland in the early 1990s and has taken part in many aspects of local ornithology.

Hill Birds in North-East Highlands

Field observations in the Scottish Highlands over decades - ptarmigan, red grouse, golden plover, dotterel, bird counts. The author documents hatch-dates of ptarmigan and red grouse in relation to blaeberry growth and climate. He collates field observations on golden plover, involving proportions of dark-plumaged summering birds, breeding success, population density within and amongst areas, and declines since the late 1970s. Another chapter reviews evidence on dotterel abundance. The author criticises a paper claiming benefits of game-keeping for moorland birds and a report on effects of predation on birds.

Birds of Tayside

A scarce 40 page publication from the Dundee Museum and Art gallery service (circa 1950's ?) written and illustrated with 'Tunnicliffe' quality by Colin Gibson. Truly fascinating look at Tayside's birdlife.
Paperback;160pp.line drawings, maps etc.

The Breeding Birds of North-East Scotland

North-East Scotland is extraordinarily rich in birds. Over 170 species have nested since 1968, and for 20 of these, the region holds more than 10% of the UK breeding population. These birds are found in a wide range of habitats, from some of the UK's highest mountains to a spectacular and diverse coastline. North-East Scotland holds nationally important concentrations of native pinewoods, coniferous plantations, arctic-alpine land, lowland raised bogs, coastal sand dunes and heaths, with notable proportions of Scotland's Heather moorland, arable farmland and coastal shingle. Many renowned bird localities are also found here, including the Cairngorms, Mar Lodge, Lochnagar, Glen Tanar, Loch Spynie, Findhorn Bay, Loch of Strathbeg, Fowlsheugh, the
Moray Firth, and the Ythan estuary.

This account of the breeding birds covers Moray, Aberdeenshire, and Aberdeen City--almost 4% of the UK land area and 11% of Scotland, and includes close to half of the Cairngorms National Park. lt is the largest 'tetrad'-scale atlas ever undertaken and maps the distributions of all breeding birds during the period 2002-06. As the first local breeding bird atlas repeated for any part of Scotland, it also makes comparisons with earlier local and national atlases. In total, 350 observers took part, with 60 of these also writing the species accounts. 62 photographers contributed a wide range of images which illustrate breeding activity.

The distributions of most of the breeding species recorded during 2002-06 are mapped, and, for each, its habitat, breeding biology, local breeding status, and distribution are summarised. Where possible, information has been updated to 2009. An estimate of the breeding population is provided, along with evidence for change in distribution and numbers. The geography and habitat context in which our breeding birds are found is described in some detail, as are the main influences on their distribution and trends in numbers--issues that are critical to bird conservation in contemporary North-East Scotland.

North East Scotland: 2001 Bird Report 

• ASIN : B001OA3GW4
• Publisher : North East Scotland Bird Club (1 Jan. 2002)
• Language : English

The Birds of North-East Scotland

A This book forms the most comprehensive study published on the birds of north-east Scotland (Aberdeenshire, Kincardinshire and part of Banffshire).The region is one of the most varied and exciting in Britain. Habitats range from the high, wild plateaux of the Cairngorm mountains with such arctic breeders as Ptarmigan, Dotterel and Snow Bunting, through remnants of the ancient Caledonian pine forest, home of Britain's only endemic species, the Scottish Crossbill, through moorland, farmland, rivers and lochs, to the coastal cliffs and sand dunes. A survey of the birds was therefore a particular challenge. Presented here are maps and data from the first year-round atlas of bird numbers and distribution to be attempted in Britain. The survey period ran from January 1981 to December 1984, and involved 290 contributors. In addition, all bird records received between 1975 and 1988 have been analysed and are summarised in the species accounts.