On this page

Borders

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

Scotland

Scotland

For books that cover regions of Scotland see:

Argyll
Ayrshire
Borders
Central Valley
Dumfries & Galloway
Fair Isle
Fife
Grampian
Highland
Inner Hebrides
Orkney
Outer Hebrides
Shetland

Galloway And The Borders

Derek Ratcliffe

Harper Collins

2007

"This book is an in-depth study of the natural developments and history of Galloway and surrounding areas. Often overlooked due to the reputation of natural habitat in other parts of the country, the author here conveys the diversity and magnificence of nature in the south of Scotland. Galloway and the borders is an extremely varied region, from saltmarshes and shingle beaches to rocky islands and seabird stations. The wide range of hills, displaying a wealth of rich colours, give the area its dominant character. The varied selection of flora and fauna only add to the diversity."

Breeding Birds of South-east Scotland: A Tetrad Atlas, 1988-94

Ray Murray, Mark Holling, Harry Dott and Peter Vandome

1998

"This is Scotland's first Tetrad Atlas of breeding birds. The Atlas covers all 1765 tetrads (7000 square km) of the South-east Scotland area comprising the Borders and Lothians. Habitats include the city of Edinburgh, the Tweed Valley, heather moorland and the sea cliffs of Berwickshire. 250 volunteers collected some 92,000 records on 168 species. Each species has a double page spread giving a detailed description, distribution map, maps comparing the 1968-72 and present distribution, and distribution graphs on factors such as altitude and habitat."

The Top 50 Birds of Northumberland and the Borders

G. Bell

Describes 50 of the commoner, mainly coastal, birds found in Northumberland and the Borders. 51 pages with b/w photographs.

The Birds of the Pentland Hills

Ian Munro

1988

Combines historical records with contemporary survey work to produce an annotated species list for the area.

The Birds of the Borders

Ray Murray

1986

Birds of Northumberland and the Eastern Borders

George Bolam

1912

The Fauna Of The Tweed Area

A.H. Evans

1911

Published as part of a series about the fauna of Scotland.

The Birds of Berwickshire: with remarks on their local distribution, migration, and habits, and also on the folk-lore, proverbs, popular rhymes and sayings connected with them

George Muirhead

1889

Published in two volumes with many black and white vignettes.

From the preface:

"Berwickshire is the most south-easterly county in Scotland, and has, generally speaking, well-defined natural boundaries - the Lammermuir Hills on the north, the valley of the Leader on the west, the German Ocean on the north and east, and the river Tweed on the south. It is oblong in shape - the greatest length from east to west being about 29 miles, and the utmost breadth from north to south nearly 21 miles. The area is 294,804 acres of land, 1557 acres of water, and 799 acres of foreshore - in all 464 square miles. The coast is bold and precipitous, and measures, exclusive of minor sinuosities, about 19 miles in length. It trends in a north-westerly direction from the eastern extremity of the parish of Mordington - on the march of the Liberties of Berwick - to St. Abb's Head, and thence westwards by Fast Castle to the mouth of Dunglass Burn on the boundary of East-Lothian. Along the sea- board a wide ridge of elevated ground stretches from Lamberton Moor on the east to the neighbourhood of Cockburnspath on the west, where it terminates in the Lammermuir Hills, which extend thence along the northern and western confines of the county to Channelkirk and Lauder - a distance of about 27 miles."

Bird-Life Of The Borders: Records Of Wild Sport And Natural History On Moorland And Sea

Abel Chapman

1889

From the preface:

"The substance of the following chapters is based on observations extending over a series of years, and accumulated while serving a long apprenticeship to rod, fowling-piece, and stanchion-gun, by "fell and flood," in the Borderland. The use of the plural pronoun is intended to include my uncle, Mr. Gr. E. Crawhall, and my brothers, with whom many of my sporting days have been spent. While freely expressing opinions on sport and cognate subjects, I distinctly disclaim any pretensions to special skill therein, beyond the average: nor are the few narratives of sporting incidents introduced with a view to "blowing my own trumpet," but as the best means of illustrating certain phases of bird-life, and of the practice of wildfowling afloat. Like a finger-post, one may point to a goal which one is never permitted to attain. A few of the chapters have appeared (substantially) as articles in The Field, others in the Pall Mall Gazette, and to the editors of those journals I am indebted for the privilege of reproducing them. To Mr. Howard Saunders, for his extreme good-nature in revising the proof sheets, and in- valuable advice thereon, I owe no small debt of gratitude. The illustrations - rough pen-and-ink drawings by the author, reproduced by photo-zincography - are intended to serve as character- sketches rather than as portraits, and have no pretensions either to scientific accuracy or artistic merit."