Acclaim for Birds of Wiltshire

SECOND PLACE in ‘BB/BTO Best Bird Book of the Year’

Birds of Wiltshire won second place in this prestigious award for 2008. In an extremely strong field of over 90 books reviewed last year in British Birds or in either of the British Trust for Ornithology’s publications BTO News and Bird Study, it finished higher than all of the other six regional and county avifaunas considered. The judges said that ‘Choosing between [the “exceptionally high-quality county avifaunas on the initial shortlist”] was not at all straightforward, yet Birds of Wiltshire emerged eventually as a unanimous choice to be singled out…the maps…in both summer and winter are perhaps the most obvious feature that marks it out from the others…Added to that, it is nicely published and extremely well-written and edited. The fact that it picked up sufficient votes (being on the final shortlist of each of the seven judges) to edge into second place is a tribute to the editors…’ (British Birds 102: 98–100).

Below are a some extracts from published reviews of Birds of Wiltshire –

‘This is a Herculean effort of which WOS can be justifiably proud. It sets a new standard in the quality of the data presented. As well as being of great interest to birdwatchers, both locally and nationally, it provides strong evidence which can be used by conservation agencies in the county. As the WOS press release states, the Birds of Wiltshire may be regarded as a Domesday-book of the avifauna at the turn of the millennium – a firm basis on which all future surveys in the county can build.’
JOHN CLARK, co-editor of Birds of Hampshire (1993), in review in British Birds, February 2008

‘The extent of the information provided may initially be a deterrent to the non-specialist reader, but the text is highly readable, and the layout is of handsome clarity, not least in the key maps on the endpapers, which are much better than those in most recent county avifaunas…All will admire the organization of the team and its ‘tetradders’, whose work was brought to a triumphant conclusion.’
DAVID BALLANCE, author of Birds in Counties… (1999), in review in The Ibis, journal of British Ornithologists’ Union, January 2008

‘…sumptuous hardback…Even a glance at the book reveals the staggering amount of information that had to be collected, organised and summarised. It must have been an enormous task but it has produced one of the most detailed and comprehensive of all county avifaunas…Superb colour photographs of habitat, and the work of 35 artists…maintain the excellent quality of this book.’
Professor ESTLIN WATERS, trustee of Great Bustard Group, in review in Otis, autumn 2007

‘…this is a magnificent book and sets a very high standard for future county avifaunas. It evoked for me many happy memories of ‘dippering’ along the By Brook and of atlassing (for the first BTO Atlas) in the Wylye Valley and on the Imber ranges. Congratulations to all in WOS who brought about this outstanding publication.’
STEPHANIE J TYLER, former WOS member, in draft review for the Wiltshire Archaeological & Natural History Society Magazine (WANHM)

‘…it is a book with a feast of information for anyone interested in Wiltshire’s birdlife. You can learn some intriguing facts about the birds in your garden (read page 544 for the complicated sex life of the Dunnock), discover which are the 10 most numerous and 10 most widespread birds in the County and read about the changes in bird distribution and numbers over the years and how patterns of land use and climate change have affected these in the past and are expected to do in the future.’
ROWENA QUANTRILL, Chair of WOS, in WOS News, November 2007

‘…this must be one of the largest county avifaunas ever published, and is a truly massive piece of work…There is also a quite excellent introduction that gives a brief history of the project, and an invaluable chapter detailing the organisation and methodology, which should be compulsory reading for anyone planning a similar project in the future…[the] value [of the fieldwork upon which the maps are based] will become increasingly evident as pressure continues to mount upon our countryside…a delight to handle, whether for browsing or more detailed study’
Professor DAVID T PARKIN, in review in Hobby 33

and a selection of unsolicited comments in letters –

‘…may I take this opportunity to congratulate all those concerned for the excellent Birds of Wiltshire. This massive volume is first class and must surely set new standards for other counties to match.’
KEITH MORTIMORE, WOS member

‘Birds of Wiltshire is magnificent!’
NIGEL REDMAN, natural history editor for Christopher Helm/A & C Black and member of editorial board of British Birds

‘What a fabulous book! You must be extremely pleased with it. Very well done to you and your production team. It certainly sets new standards in presentation and design…’
IAN LEWINGTON, one of the UK’s leading bird artists, who painted the artwork for the BoW jacket

‘As a return on the effort that I put into my few line-drawings, Birds of Wiltshire represents a life record – for it is a most remarkable book-cum-county atlas. All concerned deserve fulsome praise. I can’t think of a county book whose text (and research) has impressed me more. It has to be the best ever. I wish it well.’
IAN WALLACE, author, artist in BoW and other books, and co-editor of Birds of the Western Palearctic

‘It really is a beautifully produced book and everyone involved in its creation is to be congratulated. The quality of the paper, print and graphics is particularly good. Hopefully, it will also be a spur to those counties, like my own, that, despite years of discussion, have not yet got around to producing their own county bird book. Congratulations to you all.’
RODNEY INGRAM, another of 35 artists who drew vignettes for BoW