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This page lists books about bird observatories in Great Britain and Ireland.

The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top.

Bardsey
Calf of Man
Cape Clear
Copeland
Dungeness
Fair Isle
Filey
Flamborough
Gibraltar Point
Hilbre
Holme
Isle of May
Landguard
North Ronaldsay
Portland
Sandwich Bay
Skomer/Skokholm
Spurn
Walney

The Birds Of Spurn

Andy Roadhouse

2016

"It is the first definitive work on the birds of the Spurn area including Easington with records dating back to the mid-19th Century. The book is hard backed with over 700 pages and full colour throughout. All 387 species recorded in the Spurn area up to the end of 2014 are included and all are illustrated with either photographs or with artwork provided by some of the best bird artists in the country. There are plenty of statistics and graphs taken from 70 years worth of Observatory records. Also there are rarity accounts of certain rare finds, tales of great days birding, whether it be falls, good sea-watches or good vis-migging days. The history of Spurn is covered along with the people who have made a difference and put Spurn firmly on the map. Descriptions of habitats and sites provide a useful site guide and a where and when to visit to make the most of your visit to Spurn."

A Bird Observatory is Born: The Edited Diaries of the Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory 1953 to 1955

Joan James

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory

2015

"Bardsey is a small island off the coast of North Wales. The Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory was founded in 1953 by a group of distinguished Naturalists which included Ronald Lockley and William Condry. The activities of the early years are told in the daily Log book entries, written by visitors and wardens. Now the edited account describes in some interesting and amusing detail the day-to-day life of the fledgling Observatory."

Bird Observatories of Britain and Ireland

M Archer, M Grantham, P Howlett and S Stansfield

Poyser

2010

"Bird observatories are research stations established mainly for the study of migration, particularly by means of ringing. There are now 20 scattered around the British Isles at key points on migration routes, on coastal promontories or small islands. Part of their attraction is the regular occurrence of rarities that are found each year at these observatories. Written by wardens and ringers from each location, Bird Observatories of the British Isles is a timely new edition of one of the earliest Poyser titles. It includes detailed coverage of the history, location, habitats and ornithological interest of each observatory, including summaries and tables of noteworthy events."

Echoes from Cape Clear

Tom & Stephanie Green

2009

"In 1968 Tom and Stephanie Green left the relative comfort of teaching and nursing in Oxford to spend a year in Ireland as wardens of the remote Cape Clear Island Bird Observatory. Set in the nostalgic context of post-war birdwatching, Echoes from Cape Clear gives numerous insights into the daily observatory life.

An engaging story is told of ornithological discovery, with detailed information and a vivid portrayal of the island and its people. This book also documents the drama, history and heritage of the island's proud seafaring and farming community."

Unforgettable Challenge

Gordon Barnes

2008

"Gordon Barnes spent fifteen years living on Fair Isle, then considered to be the most remote place in the British Isles. He was Assistant Warden at Fair Isle Bird Observatory for two seasons and was then asked by the islanders to become the first non-native crofter there. In this book, he gives us an insight into his life on Fair Isle as a crofter, lighthouse keeper and ornithologist."

The Birds of Spurn: A Comprehensive Checklist

Geoff Neal

2nd edition

2007

"Starting with a brief history of Spurn Bird Observatory the book then explains the categorisation of the records followed by the systematic list of all birds recorded at Spurn since records began in 1938."

Guardian Spirit of the East Bank

Moss Taylor

2002

"This is more than a biography of the acclaimed bird artist and field ornithologist, Richard Richardson, who lived at Cley between 1949 and 1977, as it also contains many excerpts from his personal bird diaries, which he kept from 1949 to 1970. The 232 pages are lavishly illustrated with examples of his watercolours and line drawings, as well as many of his personal photographs. In order to show off his paintings to the best effect, the book is in A4 format and is hardback with a dust wrapper. The eighteen chapters include accounts of Richard's early birdwatching days in St James's Park, London (when he was a teenager), his wartime service in India, Ceylon and Singapore between 1943 and 1946, and his subsequent return to Norfolk. The history of Cley Bird Observatory occupies three chapters. The book received very warm reviews in all the national birdwatching journals and magazines, and was awarded third place in the British Birds/BTO Best Bird Book of the Year 2002 award."

Phenology of Autumn Passage of Willow Warblers at Dungeness,1960-2000

J.H. Marchant and C.V. Wernham

2001

"This study investigates daily counts of passage Willow Warblers at Dungeness Bird Observatory for autumns from 1960 to 2000, and draws upon data from the British & Irish Bird Ringing Scheme, held by the BTO."

Atlas of Recoveries of Birds Ringed by Bardsey Observatory 1953-1996

Dick Loxton, Tom Kittle and Peter Hope Jones

1999

Birds of the Spurn Peninsula

Ralph Chislett assisted by G.H. Ainsworth

1996

"An ornithological classic, written by a master of the genre. The bird observatory at Spurn point in Yorkshire was founded in 1945,the third to be established in Britain, and two years ahead of Fair Isle. Ralph Chislett, regarded by many as 'The Father of modern Yorkshire ornithology', was the leader of a small group of pioneering ornithologists who set up,and subsequently ran the observatory in property originally leased from the war department. He acted as chairman of the observatory's Management Committee for the first twenty years of its existence, and this is his own fascinating account, written in his inimitable style, of trials and tribulations, successes and failures and the exciting birds of the first ten years or so of their work.

Part 1 was published in 1958,but quickly went out of print and has remained a very scarce item on the second hand market. The handwritten manuscript for Part 2, completed by Chislett shortly before his death in 1964,has lain neglected for thirty years until its rediscovery in 1992.At long last,and as the author originally intended, the two parts are now united into one volume. Part 1 is reproduced in facsimile form, and Part 2 is printed in a matching format. In addition to the original species accounts, there are updates on the ornithological and environmental changes that have taken place at Spurn in the thirty years since Chislett's time, together with early photographs of the Spurn landscape and some of the personalities who contributed to this Golden Decade of Yorkshire ornithology."

The Birds of Spurn: A Comprehensive Checklist

Geoff Neal

1996

"Starting with a brief history of Spurn Bird Observatory the book then explains the categorisation of the records followed by the systematic list of all birds recorded at Spurn since records began in 1938."

The Birds Of Fair Isle

J.N. Dymond

"This is a comprehensive checklist, giving full status for 345 species, and includes all records to the end of 1990, including relevant historical records. There are histograms of migration patterns for 193 species and graphs of breeding numbers for 15 species."

A List of the Birds of Spurn 1946-1985

B.S. Pashby

1988

The Natural History of Bardsey

Peter Hope Jones

1988

The Birds of Bardsey

Peter Roberts

1985

"A complete and detailed account of the ornithology of Bardsey, the jewel of Welsh islands, and the only bird observatory in Wales."

Bird Observatories In Britian & Ireland

Editor: Roger Durman

1976

"An account of the history, function and present (1976) situation of the fourteen observatories in Britain & Ireland."

The Natural History of Cape Clear Island

J T R Sharrock

Poyser

1973

An account of the flora and fauna, inhabitants and history of Cape Clear Island which is the second most southerly Irish island.

The Calf of Man Bird Observatory

Malcolm Wright

1968

Fair Isle and its Birds

Kenneth Williamson

1965

Includes a list of Fair Isle birds by Peter Davis.

Check-List Of The Birds Of Cley And Neighbouring Norfolk Parishes

R.A. Richardson

1962

The Isle Of May

W.J. Eggeling

1960

"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."