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Books about Cumbrian birds and birdwatching in Cumbria

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



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The Gathering Tide: A Journey Around the Edgelands of Morecambe Bay

Karen Lloyd

Saraband

2016

"Karen Lloyd takes us on a deeply personal journey around the 60 miles of coastline that make up ‘nature’s amphitheatre’. Embarking on a series of walks that take in beguiling landscapes and ever-changing seascapes, Karen tells the stories of the places, people, wildlife and history of Morecambe Bay. So we meet the Queen’s Guide to the Sands, discover forgotten caves and islands that don’t exist, and delight in the simple beauty of an oystercatcher winging its way across the ebbing tide. As we walk with Karen, she explores her own memories of the bay, making an unwitting pilgrimage through her own past and present, as well as that of the bay. The result is a singular and moving account of one of Britain’s most alluring coastal areas."

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Walking with Birds

Colin Whittle

Brambleby Books

2015

"Colin Whittle confesses that he is a ‘home-patch man’. Almost daily he goes for walks around his local patch in Cumbria, visiting his ‘sitting stones’ to watch the birds. He is particularly fascinated by their flight as well as their varied and changing calls. As he discloses in this journal, spanning his favourite time of year – winter and spring, it is only by the continuous observation of the ordinary that the extraordinary and more interesting bird behaviours are revealed, by simply being there and keeping one’s eyes – and ears – open. Walking with Birds explores the wildlife, especially birds, of one of the most magnificent and popular Lake District valleys, the valley of Great Langdale, and the coast of Morecambe Bay. It is a culmination of over fifty years’ involvement with wildlife. lt is also a personal narrative concerning the rediscovery of one’s place in the natural world in an age of an ever-increasing alienation of people from nature and its processes. The text is complemented by beautiful watercolours by the author of some of the places and moods he describes."

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Hadrian's Wildlife

John Miles

Whittles Publishing

2012

"Following the author's previous successful book, Hadrian's Wildlife has been enriched and expanded with additional information on wildlife and Roman history. When standing on the WHO site of Hadrian's Wall, many visitors may wonder what the area would have looked like during Roman times. Bringing the bird remains from Roman digs into view reveals which species were living then as well as what the landscape looked like. Although some species such as White-tailed Eagle and Common Crane are no longer found here, others including Nuthatch, Hobby and Little Egret have colonized the area. Living close to Hadrian's Wall, the author has explored its many habitats from the Solway Firth across to the east coast. Many of these wildlife sites have a Roman influence from old forts to the gathering of pearls from the oysters that are found on the North Tyne. Hadrian's Wildlife will encourage visitors to the area to enjoy and appreciate the wide selection of these habitats on a year-round basis. This invaluable guide to the many and varied attractions of the area will take the reader on a voyage of discovery and will be an essential companion for visitors."

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A Guide to Birdwatching in the Lake District and the Coast of Cumbria

David Watson

Photoprint Scotland

2011

"If you are just becoming aware of the magic of birdwatching, this is for you,and the Lake District and coast of Cumbria is the perfect place to start. Lavishly illustrated with original photographs and maps, this well-structured Simple Guide is in two parts. Habits and Species describes the wide range of environments, and the birds you will likely see there at different seasons. Where to watch birds covers about 40 locations, for each supplying a classified range of information, how to get there, parking and facilities, a map, and the special birds to look out for. Each location has a double-page spread; the important locations are given extra treatment, including: Bassenthwaite Ospreys, St. Bees Head nesting seabirds, South Walney Gull colony, Caerlaverock Barnacle Geese and Ospreys, Solway Peninsula, Leighton Moss reed beds, and Grizedale Red Kites."

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Birdwatching Walks In The Lake District

John Wilson & David Hindle

Palatine Books

2010

"This wonderful new collection of walks combines the spectacular and beautiful scenery of the Lake District with excellent opportunities to see some of the area's birds and other wildlife. Each walk is designed for all ages and abilities, and for both keen and casual bird watchers, making this lovely book the perfect guide to a wonderful day out for everyone. With helpful guide maps, interesting bird and habitat information, travel hints and a bird reference section, Birdwatching walks in the Lake District should ensure that walkers really can get the best out of this stunning National Park and its rich and varied bird population. Includes 32-page colour bird/wildlife reference section."

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Best Birdwatching Sites: The Solway

John Miller

Buckingham Press

2010

"John Miles, a former RSPB reserve warden at Geltsdale, knows the region intimately and provides detailed reports on coastal sites in both Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway, but also roams inland to cover the key wildlife watching sites in both counties ... In all, 378 species are covered. Naturally, the well known sites such as Caerlaverock, South Walney and the Golden Eagle watchpoint at Haweswater are included, but John's in-depth knowledge of both sides of the Solway means that many lesser known locations are also featured. This is a book that will appeal to walkers and birdwatchers alike. The Cumbria chapters cover 76 sites of which 54 contain walk routes (22 circular). On the Scottish side, 84 sites are covered with 49 of them offering walk routes."

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Call of the Eagle

Dave Walker

Whittles Publishing

2009

"This is an account of one man's 30-year involvement with England's rarest bird, the golden eagle. Initially employed by the RSPB as a senior species protection warden at a secret location in Cumbria, the author describes the intricacies of establishing a protection regime by wardens that would operate for the next 26 years and his efforts to protect and study this iconic species. The Lakeland eagles were at their most productive during his tenure, rearing six eaglets in the six years before he widened his interest to study eagles in Scotland as well as England. The author discovered and recorded many previously unknown facts about golden eagles. He began to plan and implement projects which would expand knowledge of the species as well as helping to secure their foothold in England. His project is the most detailed and complete study of a pair of golden eagles with, at its heart, the life and times of an eagle he followed from its arrival in 1982 until its death, 22 years later. A bird that would eventually show little fear of him and accept his presence rather than flee."

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Where to Watch Birds: North West England

Allan Conlin, Dr J P Cullen, Pete Marsh, Tristan Reid, Chris Sharpe, Judith Smith, Stephen Williams

Christopher Helm

2008

"A guide to the best birding sites in the north western counties of Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire. This area holds some of the finest upland sites in England, as well as some superb wetlands including Morecambe Bay which holds the largest wader roost in the country. The western coast of Northern England has a good record for attracting Nearctic vagrants, and the Lake District is the only place in England where Golden Eagles breed. The guide explores the best birding sites in the area, and several new sites have been added to this revised and updated third edition. Each site is described in terms of habitat, species, access and timing, and the volume is illustrated throughout with line drawings and maps of each site. This book seeks to enable birders plan productive trips at any time of the year."

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Birdwatching On The Solway Coast: Area Of Outstanding Beauty

Brian Irving

Solway Coast AONB

2008

"Following on from the successful booklet, Exploring the Wildflowers of the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Brian Irving, AONB Manager, has produced, Birdwatching in the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The booklet provides a photographic record of some of the birds to be seen in and around the AONB, and where to find them. Using his own photographs to illustrate it, it is an ideal accompaniment for anyone interested in finding out where best to see the birdlife of the Solway."

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Birdwatching Walks Around Morecambe Bay

John Wilson & David Hindle

Palatine Books

2007

"Morecambe Bay area is one of the finest bird watching sites in Great Britain. With 310 square kilometres of inter-tidal sand flats, it is an outstanding combination of habitats. This book, with forty specially chosen walks, covers Morecambe Bay, from the Wyre estuary in the south to Walney Island in the north. It embraces the neighbouring Duddon estuary and the peripheral areas of the southern Lake District and Forest of Bowland. It also describes where and when to find the birds and other wildlife in this unique area."

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The Lakeland Ospreys

David Ramshaw

P3 Publications

2007

"This book describes the story of the arrival of ospreys at Bassenthwaite in 1997, through to the first breeding the Lake District has recorded in 2001, and tells the fascinating life cycle of the ospreys through the breeding seasons up to 2006. It has been written and published by David Ramshaw on behalf of the Lake District Osprey Project. Ospreys have bred at Bassenthwaite since 2001 and have successfully produced chicks every year. The re-colonisation by the birds of this part of England is managed by the Lake District Osprey Project, which is a partnership involving the Forestry Commission , the RSPB and the Lake District National Park Authority. This book gives the reader an insight not only into how colonisation by ospreys has progressed in Lakeland, but also into the daily life and habits of this fascinating bird of prey."

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Birdwatching Walks In Bowland

John Wilson & David Hindle

Palatine Books

2005

"The forest of Bowland is a truly stunning and immensely important Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Many species of birds - some of them rare - are there to be enjoyed within the varied habitats of the Bowland landscape, a fact that is celebrated to the full in this superb new book. Over 30 scenic walks cover the whole of the area, from Lancaster to Pendle, and from Preston to Settle, each one designed to give the walker the chance to encounter a wide range of different birdlife in a magnificent Bowland setting."

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Birdwatching in the North Pennines

Rebecca Barrett and Mike Langman

North Pennines ANOB Partnership

2005

A guide to the birds and birdwatching sites in the North Pennines AONB.

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The Breeding Birds of Cumbria: A Tetrad Atlas 1997-2001

Editor: Malcolm Stott, John Callion, Ian Kinley, Colin Raven and Jeremy Roberts

Preface: Derek Ratcliffe

Cumbria Bird Club

2002

"Each of the 152 breeding species has a two-page spread including: 700+ word account with historical perspective, range, trends, and population estimate; tetrad maps of both distribution and abundance; 10km square maps showing change in distribution over the last 30 years; an original line-art vignette; and information boxes with survey statistics and conservation status. Past, occasional, and potential breeders, and resident feral species not fully established, are covered in a separate section. An illustrated introductory section gives an account of the county's landforms, climate and habitats. Appendices provide a gazetteer, statistics and references."

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Birdwatching Walks in Cumbria

Tim Dean and Jeremy Roberts

Carnegie Publishing

2002

"This excellent book details no fewer than fifty gentle walks in Cumbria with excellent birdwatching. Easy-to-follow route maps are provided for all walks, each of which ends at the same place it starts. Each walk suggests the best places to look, and species to watch out for. Walks can be planned using the invaluable seasonal occurrence chart. Written by highly respected and well-known experts in the field."

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Lakeland

Derek Ratcliffe

New Naturalist 92

Collins

2002

"Cumbria, or the habitat of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands, is the Lakeland area treated by author Derek Ratcliffe in this latest volume in the "New Naturalist" series. The region of the Lake District has modest hills compared to the great mountain ranges of continental Europe. Yet they remain for many naturalists the best and most alluring part of Lakeland, with the most glamorous fauna, and a flora fascinating in the story of the past that it tells. This title aims to tell the story of the whole region from the perspective of its natural history, and from the personal viewpoint of the author. There is an emphasis on the northern half of the region where the author grew up, but this counterbalances the previous "New Naturalist: Lake District", whose authors were better acquainted with the southern half. Through the 12 chapters in the book, Derek Ratcliffe describes the Lakeland climate and geology, key naturalist figures and societies, the nature of the estuaries, coastline and lowlands, the limestone foothills, Lake dales and fells, the Pennines and the Borders. He considers the conservation problems and measures taken, and includes information on organisations such as the National Park Authority, National Trust and non-governmental organisations and on protected areas of various kinds, before assessing the future environmental prospects for the region."

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Birds of the Lake District: A Popular Guide To The Birds And Their Haunts

W. R.Mitchell

Castleberg

2000

"A beautifully written guide to the birds of the Lake District and where to see them."

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Birds and Boys at Sedbergh: One Hundred Years of Watching and Recording Birds at Sedbergh School, Cumbria

Ingram Cleasby

OS Society

1999

"The story is largely told by the boys themselves in extracts from the Society's detailed records. It provides a unique account of the changing birdlife of this upland district during the course of the century - the changes in the status and distribution of breeding birds, and changes in the local environment."

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Where to Watch Birds: Cumbria, Lancashire & Cheshire

Jonathan Guest, Malcolm Hutchinson

Christopher Helm

1997

"A guide to Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire - counties which boast some of the most varied bird habitats in Britain. For this second edition new sites have been added, the maps have been redrawn and the information has been updated."

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Cumbrian Wildlife in the Twentieth Century

Editor: David J. Clarke and Stephen M. Hewitt

Carlisle Natural History Society

1996

"This important book reviews the impact of the present century on the wildlife of this area. Fully referenced, it deals with habitats and conservation, flora, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, mammals and birds of prey."

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A Border Naturalist: The Birds & Wildlife of the Bewcastle Fells & the Gilsland Moors, 1930-1966

Ritson Graham

Bookcase

1993

"Ritson Graham (1896 - 1983) was a railway worker, a fine Mayor of Carlisle and a naturalist of rare distinction. Many treasure his articles on natural history in the Cumberland News. This wonderful and elegiac book was his life's work. The Waste of Cumberland and its wealth of wildlife is now no more."

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Where to Watch Birds: Cumbria, Lancashire & Cheshire

Jonathan Guest, Malcolm Hutchinson

Christopher Helm

1992

"Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire boast some of the most varied habitats in Britain from the mountains of the Lake District to the green plains of Cheshire. The region also has four bird-rich estuaries which are of international importance. The authors have divided this guide into eight regions covering 66 sites. As with other volumes in this series, each site is described under the headings of habitat, access, timing and calendar giving the visitor all the information required to make the most of each trip. Jonathan Guest is a former bird recorder and editor of the Cheshire Bird Report and is joint editor of A Breeding Atlas of Cheshire and Wirral. Malcolm Hutcheson also wrote Cumbrian Birds."

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Wildlife Habitat in Cumbria

P.G. Kelly and K.A. Perry

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

1990

"This book contains a survey of the county's habitats 1983-7 and the threats faced by them."

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The Natural History Of Walney Island

Tim Dean

Faust

1990

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The Lakeland Eagles

D.G. Walker

1990

"A complete account of the restablishment of breeding Golden Eagles in the Lake District & their subsequent successes up to the present day. The study covers the period 1979 to 1990 & follows the eagles through the whole year cycle during this time."

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Where to Watch Birds: Cumbria, Lancashire & Cheshire

Ron Freethy, Jonathan Guest

Christopher Helm

1988

"This guide is a general introduction to the climate and wildlife of Lancashire, Cumbria and Cheshire, followed by a systematic list of the many birdwatching localities, with a map for each site and a calendar summarizing the arrival and departure dates of migrants. Essential information is given on habitat, species, timing and access for each site, aiming to provide a comprehensive survey of each locality."

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Cumbrian birds: a review of status and distribution 1964-1984

Malcolm Hutcheson

Frank Peters

1985

140 page illustrated book.

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The Peregrines of the Lake District

M.J. Dawson

Oriel Stringer

1985

"A survey of the numbers of the peregrine falcon over the last 100 years in the English Lake District and the nearby Pennines, with a list of over 80 eyries."

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Natural History Of The District Around Grange-Over-Sands

S.E. Allen

Grange and District Natural History Society

1975

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Lakeland Birds

W.R. Mitchell & R.W. Robson

Dalesman Publishing

1974

"This entirely practical guide relates wild birds to their haunts in the Lake District National Park, Britains largest, which consists of 866 square miles of fells, dales and lakes. As with Pennine birds, the authors set the scene with brief notes on geology, vegetation and climate. The birds themselves are surveyed with regard to land type, then to specific areas, which are handily arranged in alphabetical order. There are sections on migration and wintering species and, finally, a checklist of the most distinctive species."

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Lakeland Birdlife 1920-1970

R.H. Brown

Charles Thurnam and Sons

1974

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The Naturalist In Lakeland

Eric Hardy

David & Charles

1973

180 pages with b/w photographs and maps.

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The Lake District

W. H. Pearsall & W. Pennington

Collins

New Naturalist 53

1972

"This book covers the natural and human history of the both the Lake District National Park and adjoining areas - their landscape, geology and glaciation; the bird, fish, insect and invertebrate fauna of lakes and tarns; the flora and fauna of becks and rivers; climate; soil and soil history; the ecology of woodlands, mountains, and fells and dales - the three main types of Lakeland habitat. The human history of the Lake District is traced from pre-history through the centuries to the present day, on the evidence of the archaeologist, the historian and the conservationist."

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Birds of Westmorland and the Northern Pennines

J. Oliver Wilson

Hutchinson

1933

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Studies Of Lakeland Birds (2nd series)

Mary L Armitt

George Middleton

1901

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Studies Of Lakeland Birds (1st series)

Mary L Armitt

George Middleton

1897

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A Vertebrate Fauna Of Lakeland, Including Cumberland And Westmorland

Rev. H. A. MacPherson

D. Douglas

1892

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The Birds Of Cumberland Critically Studied, Including Some Notes On The Birds Of Westmorland

Rev. H. A. MacPherson & William Duckworth

Colour frontispiece: J.G. Keulemans

Chas. Thurnham & Sons

1886

From the preface:

"To working ornithologists, the maritime counties of England are essentially of primary interest, both fi'om the numerous species which regularly haunt the seaboard and estuaries, and from the frequent occurrence of rare European forms upon the coastline. When, therefore, I came to Cumberland, in 1882, I naturally asked myself, 'What is the Avi-fauna of this county?' An examination of faunal literature shewed that, while the counties of Durham and Northumberland, of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Sussex, Cornwall, and Somerset, had been treated of exhaustively, or in part, by Messrs. John Hancock (1874), W. E. Clarke (1881), J. Cordeaux (1872), H. Stevenson (1866-70), A. E. Knox (1849), E. H. Rodd (1880), Cecil Smith (1869), the literature of the Aves of the north-west of England was wholly of a meagre and unsatisfactory character! I at once decided to devote every fragment of leisure to the elucidation of the Avi-fauna of Cumberland, and sought the fullest information on all hands, visiting all districts and sifting every fact presented to me with the utmost care."
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Last updated August 2017