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Books about Dorset birds and birdwatching in Dorset

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



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Catching the Bug: A Sound Approach guide to the birds of Poole Harbour

Mark Constantine, Nick Hopper, The Sound Approach

The Sound Approach

2012

"Read how tens of thousands of birds secretly migrate through the area, and teach yourself the fascinating range of chirps, cheeps and chacks for helping you discover similar migrant corridors near your home. Learn the flight calls of these migrant songbirds from original stereo recordings, illustrated and explained using annotated sonograms. Explore the idea of the Dartford Warbler being Britain’s first endemic species, along with the differences between Atlantic and Continental Great Cormorants, and the role sound has in Common Cuckoo conservation. Listen to the sounds of waders as they come and go with the tide, while enjoying the author’s stories of bird racing, year listing and being stopped by the police for possession of a super ray gun. As with all our books two free CDs are included, packed with high quality digital recordings really bringing Catching the Bug to life."

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Best Birdwatching Sites: Dorset

Neil Gartshore

Buckingham Press

2011

"Dorset is among the top six birding counties in Britain with 417 species on the bird list and a formidable reputation for rarities and large numbers of migrants each year. Armed with this book you'll be guided around established hotspots such as Portland, Arne and the Studland Peninsula, as well as many less well known areas away from the coast. Author Neil Gartshore is the perfect guide to a magical county which offers year-round birding excitement. He spent 15 years as an RSPB staff member on the Arne reserve and now works as a freelance bird surveyor, leads birding tours in Dorset and further afield and runs Calluna Books, who specialise in buying and selling out-of-print natural history books."

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Dorset, a Naturalist's County

Nigel Webb

Photographs: Tony Bates

Foreword: David Attenborough

Dovecote Press

2011

"A lavishly illustrated paperback celebrating Dorset's wildlife, published to mark the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Dorset Wildlife Trust in 1961, which today has 25,000 members. Nigel Webb is a leading ecologist and Chairman of the Trust, whilst Tony Bates is its President and a distinguished photographer. A superb introduction to a county whose mixture of meadow, woodland, heath, downland, rivers, seashore and harbour makes its wildlife amongst the richest in Britain."

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Where to Watch Birds: Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight

George Green, Martin Cade

Christopher Helm

2010

"Whether local or visiting, expert or novice, Where to Watch birds in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is the essential guide for any active birdwatcher in these counties. All significant birdwatching areas in the region are analysed under the headings 'Habitat', 'Timing', 'Sites', Access' and 'Calendar', providing all the information necessary to make the most of each and every trip, whatever the time of year. This substantially revised and expanded edition has new chapters, details of 'clusters' of sites easily accessible from particular holiday or population centres, , as well as numerous examples of recent occurrences and significant status changes."

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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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Wild Dorset: The Year in Photographs

Colin Varndell

Dovecote Press

2004

"Wild Dorset, The Year in Photographs documents Dorset's landscape and natural history through the course of the year, beginning with a portrait of a tawny owl in January - which is when nesting a site is established - and ending nearly 200 glorious photographs later in December with a view out over the Fleet and Chesil Beach, when a low wintry sun both rises and sets over the sea. Subtle changes continuously occur in the Dorset countryside throughout the year, in response to breeding, migration, weather conditions, and the natural ebb and flow of the seasons. The result is a portrait of Dorset's flowers, insects, birds and animals by one of Britain's most talented photographers."

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Where to Watch Birds: Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight

George Green, Martin Cade

Christopher Helm

2001

"Whether local or visiting, expert or novice, Where to watch birds in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is the essential guide for any active birdwatcher in these counties. All significant birdwatching areas in the region are analysed under the headings 'Habitat', 'Timing', 'Access' and 'Calendar', providing all the information necessary to make the most of each and every trip, whatever the time of year. This substantially revised and expanded edition has new chapters, details of 'clusters' of sites easily accessible from particular holiday or population centres, additional information on access for the car-bound or disabled, as well as numerous examples of recent occurrences and significant status changes."

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Rare Birds in Dorset

Stephen Morrison

1997

A description of 222 species with distribution maps and graphs.

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Where to Watch Birds: Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight

George Green, Martin Cade

Christopher Helm

1997

"A guide to birdwatching in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, this details the best bird watching sites ranging from shorelines to woodland. Key information is given on the habitat of each site, the birds likely to be seen there, season by season, with tips on the best time to go for maximum enjoyment. There is also information on the flora and fauna to be found on the site. Necessary practical details are given, accompanied by maps on access and how to get to the site as well as pointers to its suitability for photography, educational facilities, organized group visits and visits by disabled enthusiasts and those with young families."

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The Natural History of Dorset

Dorset Wildlife Trust

Photographs: Bob Gibbons, Colin Varndell

Dovecote Press

1997

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The Birds of Chesil Bank, The Fleet and Portland Harbour

Chesil Bank and the Fleet Nature Reserve

1995

"A Guide with Walks. This book describes the various habitats within the reserve and the characteristic birds of each. It describes, with sketch maps, 10 different, mostly circular walks. Finally there is a systematic list of the species recorded on the reserve. The book is illustrated with photographs and drawings."

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Coastal Birds and Marine Mammals of Mid Dorset

Richard White and Andrew Webb

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

1995

"This report summarises the results of a 12-month study in 1994 into the distribution and abundance of seabirds and marine mammals in the coastal waters off mid Dorset (between Portland Bill and Durlston Head)."

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Dorset Peregrine Watch

Edmund Harwood

Wadswell Publications

1994

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Where to Watch Birds: Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight

George Green, Martin Cade

Illustrations: Richard Allen

Christopher Helm

1992

"A guide to birdwatching in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, this details the best bird watching sites ranging from shorelines to woodland. Key information is given on the habitat of each site, the birds likely to be seen there, season by season, with tips on the best time to go for maximum enjoyment. There is also information on the flora and fauna to be found on the site. Necessary practical details are given, accompanied by maps on access and how to get to the site as well as pointers to its suitability for photography, educational facilities, organized group visits and visits by disabled enthusiasts and those with young families."

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Coastal Birds of East Dorset

S.J. Aspinall, M.L. Tasker

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

1990

"A report on the importance of Poole Bay and Christchurch Bay for seabirds."

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Where to Watch Birds: Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight

George Green, Martin Cade

Illustrations: Richard Allen

Christopher Helm

1989

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The Undercliff: A Sketchbook of the Axmouth - Lyme Regis Nature Reserve

Elaine Franks

Foreword: John Fowles

J.M. Dent & Sons

1989

Published in the US by Bullfinch Press as The Undercliff: A Naturalist's Sketchbook of the Devon to Dorset Coast.

"The section of the coast known as the undercliff is perpetually sliding into the sea, yet it is one of the most beautiful parts. Elaine Franks in her sketches and paintings captures the intense beauty of this stretch of the coast and her writings describe the terrain, weather and wildlife."

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The Birds of Dorset

E.D.V Prendergast and J.V.Boys

Dorset Bird Club

David & Charles

1983

An account of the Dorset Avifauna up to 1983.

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Hants and Dorset's Birds

Trevor Beer

James Pike Ltd

1975

A short paperback describing species with black and white photographs and a map showing birdwatching sites.

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The Naturalist in Central Southern England: Hampshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset

Derrick Knowlton

David & Charles

1973

240 pages with b/w photographs and maps.

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Checklist of the Birds of Dorset

J.V. Boys

Dorset Natural History And Archaeological Society

1972

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Bird Haunts In Southern England

G.K. Yeates

Faber & Faber

1946

Main contents are: Norfolk reed-beds; Crossbills in Brekland; Salisbury Plain; Dorset Heathland; Southern Woodland; Orchard and Pasture in Somerset; Sedgemoor; An Exmoor Coomb; The Black Redstarts of Lowestoft.

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A Revised List Of The Birds Of Dorset

F.L. Blathwayt

Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society

1934


The Birds Of Dorsetshire; A Contribution To The Natural History Of The County

John Clavell Mansel-Pleydell

Illustrations: G.E. Lodge

R.H. Porter and M. & E. Case

1888

From the introduction: "There never was a more favourable time than the present for the study of the history of the habits of birds. During the last ten years there have issued from the press, in parts, no less than four important ornithological works, three of which are now complete, (1) Dresser's " Birds of Europe," in 8 vols. 4to, 1 87 1-8 1, supplies a want which was only partially satisfied by Bree's "Birds of Europe not Observed in the British Islands," being, as its title implies, much more comprehensive. (2) Yarrell's "British Birds," 4th edition, in 4 vols. 8vo, 1871- 1885, of which the first two volumes (including the Accipitres Passeres and Picarice) were edited by Professor Newton, and the last two (dealing with the remaining orders) by Mr. Howard Saunders. The important additions made to our knowledge since Yarrell's first publication on the subject, and embodied in this edition, makes it practically a new work. (3) Seebohm's " British Birds," with coloured illustrations of their eggs, 3 vols. 8vo, 1883-85, an excellent work, containing much new and interesting information derived from the author's personal experience, gained not only in the British Islands, but in many parts of Europe, and notably in European and Asiatic Siberia, where the nests and eggs of many so-called rare birds were discovered. (4) Booth's "Rough Notes on the Birds Observed during Twenty Years' Shooting and Collecting in the British Islands," a folio work, which has been appearing in parts with coloured plates since 1881, and of which the last part has been now published, details the results of the author's own experience, and supplies much information concerning the breeding haunts and habits of birds generally accounted rare as observed in Scotland

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Last updated August 2017