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Helm County Avifaunas

This page lists UK county/region avifaunas published by Helm. The books are listed by publication date with the most recent at the top.


Helm pages

There are a number of Helm pages on the site:

Family ID Guides

Regional ID Guides

Photographic Guides

County Avifaunas

Where To Watch Birds (GB)

Where To Watch Birds (World)

Other Helm publications

 

The Birds Of London

Andrew Self

Christopher Helm

2014

"The parks, reservoirs, rooftops and gardens of London - here defined as the area within 20 miles of St Paul's Cathedral - have a surprisingly rich avifauna, including a healthy population of one of Britain's rarest breeders, the Black Redstart. The region also has a remarkable list of rarities - in recent years Canary Wharf has proven to be a magnet for vagrants, while one of the very few British records of Tengmalm's Owl hails from Plaistow - an unfortunate bird stoned to death by local urchins in 1877. Some species, like the Peregrine Falcon, Black-headed Gull and Ring-necked Parakeet, have seen their fortunes soar over recent decades; others, such as House Sparrow, have suffered a population collapse. While as recently as a century ago, the London area had breeding populations of birds such as Wryneck and Red-backed Shrike, which are now nationally extinct. The status, distribution and history of every species on the regional list is discussed in rich detail in this book, the first comprehensive avifauna for the London area ever published."

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The Birds of Leicestershire and Rutland

Andrew Harrop, Dave Gamble, Rob Fray, Roger Davies, Steve Lister

Christopher Helm

2009

"The County Avifaunas are a growing series of books, each of which gives details of the status and range of every species on the county list, with a detailed breakdown of rarity records. Each has introductory sections describing the county's ecology and habitats, climate, ornithological history and conservation record. This new avifauna covers Leicestershire and neighbouring Rutland, an area with a particularly strong birding tradition - the Leicestershire & Rutland Ornithological Society is one of the largest county bird clubs in Britain. The region holds some of England's most important inland reservoirs, including the largest, Rutland Water. This massive lake holds some 10,000 wintering birds of a variety of species each year, and has an impressive rarity list as well as some of England's few breeding Ospreys. The county also has important woodlands, gull roosts and river habitats. Rutland Water is the home of the British Birdwatching Fair, the most important trade fair in the birding calendar."

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The Birds of Gwent

Gwent Ornithological Society

Christopher Helm

2008

"The County Avifauna series provides detailed information on the range and status of bird species at county level. Each title includes a breakdown of rarity records, and there are introductory sections describing the area's ecology, climate, ornithological history and conservation record, as well as a gazeteer of the best sites to visit. Gwent contains a wide range of habitats in a relatively small area, including estuarine wetland in the south, valleys in the west, and uplands in the north, with heavily wooded areas in the Usk and Wye valleys. Major sites include the Newport Wetlands, which attracts visitors from throughout Wales and the west of England to its wet grassland, saline lagoons and freshwater reedbeds. Other important sites include Peterstone Wentlooge."

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The Birds of Essex

Simon Wood

Christopher Helm

2007

"The County Avifaunas are a growing series giving full details of the status and range of every species recorded in the county in question. Each title covers all species on the county list, with a detailed breakdown of rarity records, and each has introductory sections describing the county's general ecology, climate, weather patterns, its ornithological history and conservation record. Essex is of national and international importance to many migrating and wintering wildfowl and waders, which can be found on the estuaries. Further inland, the Lea Valley harbours important populations of several species within the complex of reservoirs and gravel-pits. Elsewhere, the diverse habits of woodland and parkland, heaths and commons, agricultural land and urban areas mean that at all times of year there is the opportunity to see upwards of 100 species in a day with little effort. This book analyses and summarises all the data collated and documented over the last 200 years and includes available records to the end of 2004. Introductory chapters discuss the geology and habitats of Essex and the amazing fossil bird record. The individual accounts provide an up-to-date status of each species and patterns of occurrence within Essex. A distribution map is included for most breeding species. A breakdown and analysis are provided for all county rarities. Superb line drawings and photographs illustrate the book, all by talented local artists and photographers. This book is an essential reference for anybody who has watched birds in this amazing county."

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The Birds of Norfolk

Moss Taylor, Michael Seago, Peter Allard and Don Dorling

Christopher Helm

2007

Previously published by Pica Press in 2000

"This book has been written by a team of almost 40 experts from within the country. Introductory chapters cover the history of ornithology in Norfolk and its birding personalities; conservation; ringing; migration; and geography. The bulk of the book comprises the systematic list which details the status and distribution of every species recorded in Norfolk."

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The Birds of Dorset

George Green

Christopher Helm

2004

"The County Avifaunas are a growing series giving full details of the status and range of every species recorded in the county in question. Each title covers all species on the county list, with a detailed breakdown of rarity records, and each has introductory sections describing the county's general ecology, climate, weather patterns, its ornithological history and conservation record. Dorset is noted for its expanses of heathland and coastal reedbeds. The combination of these nationally scarce habitats and a mild climate make Dorset a stronghold for some of Britain's rarest breeding birds. It also holds important seabird cliffs as well as several bird-rich estuaries and inland reservoirs. The county's rarity record is impressive - Portland Bill is particularly productive in this respect. This new avifauna looks at the range and status of every species recorded in the county, using data gathered over many years by the very active local group - the Dorset Bird Club. The book will also have many line drawings provided by the club."

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The Birds of Shetland

P. Harvey, M. Pennington, K. Osborn, R. Riddington, P. Ellis, M. Huebeck and D. Okill

Christopher Helm

2004

"Shetland has always been synonymous with exciting birding. The islands are nationally important for their 21 species of breeding seabirds, and other extremely rare or sporadic British breeders such as the Red-necked phalarope and Snowy Owl. They are also much-visited by passage migrants. In particular, Fair Isle rivals the Isles of Scilly as the place for keen listers to go in the autumn, and this picturesque little island, with its famous bird observatory, regularly hosts extreme rarities. This book looks in depth at the status, distribution and abundance, past and present, of every bird recorded in Shetland. Population trends for breeders and regular visitors are analysed, and a detailed breakdown of all Shetland records is presented for the rarities."

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The Birds of Suffolk

Steve Piotrowski

Christopher Helm

2003

"This county avifauna looks at the birdlife of Suffolk - one of the most important birding counties of England. Suffolk is relatively underdeveloped, with nationally important wetlands and heathlands, and a long, varied coastline. This text looks at Suffolk's history, geology, climate and ecology, and examines in detail the status of every species on the Suffolk list. The data presented includes a breakdown of all records of vagrant species."

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The Birds of the Isles of Scilly

Peter Robinson

Christopher Helm

2003

"This is an avifauna for the Isles of Scilly - one of the most popular and exciting birding sites in the whole of Britain. The islands' position, out to the south-west of the tip of Cornwall, means that they are often first landfall for the lost migrant birds from both Europe and Asia to the east, and North America to the west. The annual October pilgrimage to Scilly is a fixed point on many birders' calendars, and these tiny islands have hosted a considerable proportion of extreme rarities and firsts for Britain". Scilly also has a small but interesting breeding bird population, including some important seabird colonies. This book discusses in detail the status and distribution, past and present, of every bird recorded on Scilly. For the great rarities, a breakdown of all records is provided. Extensive introductory sections describe the climate, vegetation, general ecology and land use of the islands, plus the history of birding and conservation on Scilly. This book is illustrated throughout with line drawings, plus a wealth of maps and charts."

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Last updated August 2013