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

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Birds in Norfolk: A National and International Perspective

Andy Brown, James McCallum

Langford Press

2016

"Birds in Norfolk is a celebration of Norfolk’s birdlife. It is written by Andy Brown and includes 115 watercolour paintings and numerous watercolour sketches by James McCallum, all done in the field. Norfolk is famed as the best county in Britain for year round birdwatching and has a long history of bird recording. Birds in Norfolk is more than a county avifauna – instead the importance of the area, past and present, is seen from both a national and international perspective. Some of the county’s most famous habitats, such as the North Norfolk Marshes, Breckland and Broadland are looked at in detail. There are chapters devoted to the county’s specialist species such as breeding waders, harriers, wintering waterfowl, waders and passerines. The list of bird species recorded in Norfolk is enviable and some of the rare visitors and spectacular ‘falls’ of common migrant birds also feature. James McCallum’s watercolours compliment the text and are not simply commissioned illustrations but outdoor paintings and sketches completed on location in Norfolk. Concise picture captions have been written by the artist detailing date, location, weather and relevant behaviour. These add further authenticity to the pages and give the book an extra personal dimension."

The Peregrines of Norwich Cathedral

Robin Chittenden

2015

"The Peregrines of Norwich Cathedral has breath-taking photography from one man’s love for these incredible birds of prey. Robin Chittenden has been photographing birds ever since he was given a camera as a child. From the first sighting of an adult bird perched on the cathedral in 2009, Robin has followed the Peregrines at one of Norfolk’s most iconic buildings."

The Story of the Norwich Peregrines

Andy Thompson

2015

"In a major update to his first book The Peregrines of Norwich Cathedral - Their Year in Pictures published in 2012 photographer and author Andy Thompson presents a superb selection of images taken from ground-level during the breeding seasons 2012-14. Augmented by stills images courtesy of the Hawk and Owl Trust webcam and Andy's insightful Peregrines back story this is a beautifully presented pictorial record of the newest cathedral residents that have captured the imagination of millions of internet viewers from around the world."

Robert Gillmor's Norfolk Bird Sketches

Robert Gillmor

2014

"Robert Gillmor is probably the most famous bird artist in the UK today. Although he is well-known for his linocuts and New Naturalist book jackets, the building blocks for all Robert's work comes from his sketches. In this charming book, Robert explains how his work in the field varies from very quick scribbles to note form, to more detailed studies in pencil and the more detailed colour work he can do when the bird stays still for long enough! The book has over 140 pencil and colour illustrations of birds, Many of which were painted on Robert’s doorstep at the Cley Marshes Reserve."

Analysis Of Sea-Watching Data From Holme Bird Observatory, Norfolk

Aonghais S C P Cook, Chris Thaxter, Lucy J Wright, Nick J Moran, Niall H K burton, Jed Andrews, Sophie Barker and Fred Cooke

British Trust for Ornithology

2014

Opening lines of summary:

1. Sea-watching represents an under-used and potentially valuable resource for explorin g patterns of seabird distribution around the UK coast and as a tool for monitoring species using the marine environment.
2. One of the most comprehensive UK sea-watching datasets has been collected from the Norfolk Ornithologists’ Association’s Holme Bird Observatory through standardised observations undertaken since May 2005. In this report, we provide the results of a collaborative project between NOA and BTO investigating this dataset".

Best Birdwatching Sites: Norfolk

Neil Glenn

3rd edition

2013

"With the ground-breaking first edition of his Norfolk guide in 2002, author Neil Glenn set the benchmark for providing essential information needed by birdwatchers to make every outing a success. When combined with Hilary Cromack's detailed maps and attractive lay-outs, it created a formula that has not been surpassed. For this exciting Third Edition, Neil has re-evaluated every site, so the information is bang up to date and he's even managed to find nine sites that have never been covered in print before. Features include: information on 85 locations; practical birding tips for each site; detailed maps and access information; bird information for each site; target birds; and a month by month guide to birds."

Norfolk Wildlife: A Calendar and Site Guide

Adrian M. Riley

2013

"This Guide of Norfolk presents a Wildlife Calendar showing when, where and how particularly birds, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies, orchids and other wildflowers can be found, followed by recommended sites to visit, with yearplanners and checklists."

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The Long, Wild Shore: Bird and Seal Seasons on Blakeney Point

James McCallum

2012

"The Long, Wild Shore explores the seasons on the North Norfolk coast. It uses the famous landmark of Blakeney Point as its focus - a place steeped in history and renowned for its colonies of seals and nesting birds. Individual chapters explore the lives of Common and Grey Seals and well-known breeding birds such as Little and Sandwich Terns, Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers. The area is also famed as a location to experience bird migration and additional illustrated chapters focus on this exciting spectacle. Over one hundred paintings and numerous watercolour sketches have been reproduced in the book. The paintings and sketches were made almost exclusively in the field at the time of watching and the vast majority were completed on Blakeney Point during the years that the author worked there as a warden."

The Norfolk Cranes' Story

John Buxton and Chris Durdin

The Norfolk Cranes' Story

2011

"This book tells the story of how cranes bred at Horsey in Norfolk, and how they were protected and studied there. The cranes' story starts with their arrival at Horsey in 1979. Their first nesting attempt was in 1981 and the first chick fledged in 1982. from this slow start in the Broads, the re-colonisation of this iconic wetland bird is now taking small but steady steps forwards elsewhere in the UK.

Their guardian at Horsey was – and is – John Buxton. Much of what we know about cranes in the UK was contained in John's memory and notebooks. The co-author is Honeyguide's Chris Durdin. With John providing the information and Chris doing the writing, this was how the book was completed.

Part one, 'The Horsey Story' tells the story of cranes at Horsey in John's words, as told to Chris. Much of this draws on John's memories and the many and detailed notebooks that John kept. Added to these are the diaries, reports and recollections of others, such as Peter Allard, Mike Everett and several crane wardens.

Part two, Cranes: History, Observations and Management includes the history of cranes in the UK, how ‘Crane Country' was shaped, and information on land management as it affects crane habitats for breeding and feeding. Observations on their behaviour at Horsey show the time and energy that John Buxton and his team of wardens have dedicated to cranes. The difficulty of access into fens and the birds' secretive and sensitive nature make the observations made at Horsey especially valuable. We hope these will prove useful to land managers elsewhere in the UK as crane numbers increase.

Though this book is primarily about Norfolk's cranes, the common crane is the most widely distributed of the 15 crane species. In part three, Cranes in Europe, Nick Upton describes the challenges facing cranes in the rest of Europe, charting their recent rise in numbers that has contributed to their reappearance in the UK."

The Norfolk Bird Atlas: Summer and Winter Distributions 1999-2007

Moss Taylor and John H Marchant

2011

"Details accounts of summer and winter distributions from extensive fieldwork conducted between 1999-2007. Double page spreads for each bird and covers over 180 species commonly found in Norfolk, and an additional 63 scarcer or rate changes in distribution since the last Norfolk atlas. Superbley illustrated by local artists and photographers."

Birds New To Norfolk

Keith Dye, Mick Fiszer & Peter Allard

Wren Publishing

2009

"Birds New to Norfolk brings together, for the first time, accounts of the first recorded occurrences of all 428 species on the Norfolk List as at the end of 2008.

Many of the records are the direct result of the hundreds of hours of research by the three authors checking through the ornithological literature published in earlier centuries. Accounts from the 17th century were penned by Sir Thomas Browne, while 19th century authors included John Hunt, William Whitear, the Pagets, Rev. Richard Lubbock and, of course, the legendary Henry Stevenson.

Contemporary accounts have been extracted from the Norfolk Bird Reports, Norfolk Bird Club Bulletins and submissions to the British Birds Rarities Committee, as well as other sources. Others have been written specifically for this book by the birds' finders.

For both researchers and general birdwatchers this book is a mine of information as well as being an enjoyable, fascinating and, at times, amusing read."

North Norfolk's Wildlife: Discovering Its Birds and Natural History

Andrew Bloomfield and Gary Smith

2009

"In this book, naturalists Andrew Bloomfield and Gary Smith set out to produce a unique appreciation and celebration of the region's wildlife. Combining their local knowledge with a well researched and informative text and complimented by a sumptuous selection of photographs depicting the most characteristic and specialist species of the area it aims to both educate and inspire. North Norfolk is a wonderful place that everyone should enjoy but should not take for granted. The landscape and its birds, animals, plants and insects need preservation and for this to happen its population needs to be aware of what can be seen around them and with this book that should be possible."

Best Birdwatching Sites: Norfolk

Neil Glenn

2nd edition

2006

"Neil Glenn was so frustrated by the ‘waffle' and ‘lack of clarity' in exisiting site guides, that he worked closely with Hilary and David Cromack to establish the template for the Best Birdwatching Sites guides. Clearly, he was not alone in his frustration because the first edition of his Norfolk guide, launched in 2003, was a runaway success. Neil, a tour leader and long-time member of Notts Birders, began work on a second edition almost immediately, revisiting and re-assessing all the sites. By the end of the process he decided to remove two sites that had diminished in value, but added 12 new locations to make the guide to Britain's most popular birding county as comprehensive as possible. Many of the reserves on the north Norfolk coast are well–established and welknown, so it was a priority to spotlight as many lesser known sites as possible. For instance, a dozen reserves within the Broads are detailed, with a further eight in or close to Thetford. In total, Neil details 83 sites."

Larks and Leverets: Wildlife on Norfolk Farmland

James McCallum

2006

"Larks and Leverets deals with the wildlife commonly found on Norfolk's farmland. There are chapters on hares, long-tailed tits, skylarks, displaying pheasants and winter flocks of pink-footed geese. There are also features on other typical farmland species such as grey and red-legged partridges, turtle doves, rabbits, pigeons and doves, lapwings, butterflies and stoats. Larks and Leverets contains over a hundred paintings, numerous watercolour studies and written observations. The notes on behaviour have been made from direct field experience and the paintings have been completed, almost exclusively, outdoors at the time of watching. The foreword is by John Busby. Larks and Leverets is full colour throughout, 140 pages long with printed end papers and limited to 1500 copies. The first 50 copies are a special edition with an original hand-coloured and hand-printed etching on the cover and spine. The following 1450 are hardback with dust jacket."

The Birds Of Blakeney Point

Andy Stoddart and Steve Joyner

Cover: Robert Gillmor

Wren Publishing

2005

"Few places in Britain, or indeed anywhere, have as long an ornithological history as Blakeney Point. It has always been famous for its colony of Common Terns but was ‘discovered' in the 1880s as a haunt of autumn Bluethroats and subsequently acquired a reputation as a rich hunting ground for bird collectors. The tern colonies and breeding waders benefited from some of the country's earliest and most enlightened conservation efforts, continued today through the work of the National Trust. For modern birdwatchers, the Point continues to cast its spell, with such exciting birds as Snowy Owl and Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler now added to its growing list.

This book brings together for the first time a complete account of Blakeney Point's long history of birds. It includes a description of its topography and wider natural history, a history of its ornithology, an account of migration and the influence of weather through the year, an overview of its breeding birds, tales of some great days and a full systematic list."

In the Countryside

Moss Taylor

Wren Publishing

2003

"This small book is a compilation of 100 of the author's columns that originally appeared in the Eastern Daily Press between the years 1999 and 2001. The topics cover the Norfolk countryside during the four seasons and a selection of the author's foreign trips. It is illustrated with 29 colour photographs taken by Moss at home and abroad."

North Norfolk Summer Sketch Book

James McCallum

2003

"This book of paintings and sketches of birds and wildlife in Norfolk begins in the early spring, continues through the summer and concludes with the first signs of autumn. There are chapters on Barn Owls, Bitterns, Adders, breeding birds of the grazing marshes, Nightjars, Tawny Owls and the return passage of the waders. These are woven together with a further series of topical paintings. The foreword is by Ian Wallace. North Norfolk Summer Sketchbook is full colour throughout, 140 pages long with printed end papers and limited to 1500 copies. The first 50 copies are a special edition with hand-coloured etching on the cover and spine. The following 1450 are hardback with dust jacket."

Where to Watch Birds: East Anglia

Peter & Margaret Clarke

4th edition

2002

"East Anglia is one of the best birding regions in England. With its extensive areas of nationally scarce habitat such as the fens, reedbeds, undisturbed beaches and Breckland heath, it can be the only place to see several of England's most exciting birds. This is a guide to where to go in East Anglia to see many different species. It contains site accounts, plans, maps, lists of birds in the region and advice on planning birdwatching trips. This fourth edition is revised and updated."

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."

Best Birdwatching Sites: Norfolk

Neil Glenn

2002

224 page guide to 73 sites in Norfolk.

Norfolk: A Birdwatcher's Site Guide

Phil Benstead, Steve Rowland and Richard Thomas

2001

"Norfolk: A Birdwatcher's Site Guide is the first comprehensive guide to arguably the UK's foremost birdwatching county. This guide covers a whole range of sites, from the places everyone has heard of, like Cley, to places that even experienced Norfolk birdwatchers may never have been to. Each site entry has details of: how you get there; where you go; when you visit; what birds you look for; how you get permits and where you find the nearest garage and other amenities. If you are a seasoned Norfolk birdwatcher, or this is your first visit to this magical county, this is the essential guide to get the most out of your birdwatching."

Wild Goose Winter: Observations of Geese in North Norfolk

James McCallum

2001

"A collection of over seventy paintings and numerous colour sketches of wild geese in the North Norfolk landscape and against ever-changing skies. A full account of the three main species: Pinkfeet, Brent and White fronts, with shorter sections on the less regular and rare visitors. The opening chapter gives a full account of their fascinating lives and behaviour. With foreword by Robert Gillmor. Wild Goose Winter is in full colour throughout its 114 pages and is limited to 1,500 copies. The first 50 copies are a special edition with hand-coloured etchings on the front, back and spine."

The Birds of Norfolk

Moss Taylor, Michael Seago, Peter Allard and Don Dorling

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."

North Norfolk: Wildlife Through The Seasons

James McCallum

1999

"James McCallum spends most of his time out of doors, either wardening, monitoring wildlife or drawing & painting. This celebration of his artistic talent, is a month-by-month account of his observations. Full colour paintings & sketches throughout; foreword by John Busby."

The Cley Year: A Birder's Guide

Mark Golley

1997

"A month by month guide to birds at Cley. Includes a comprehensive site guide, maps and an up-to-date check list."

Cley Marsh And Its Birds

Billy and Bernard Bishop

1996

"Billy Bishop published his memoirs in 1983 after more than 40 years as warden of the reserve. In this new edition his son Bernard who succeeded him continues the story of the marsh up to 1996 the 70th anniversary of the reserve. The book includes an updated checklist."

Where to Watch Birds: East Anglia

Peter & Margaret Clarke

3rd edition

1995

"One in a series of in-depth guides to birdwatching in different regions. Each book contains site accounts, plans, maps, lists of birds in the region and advice on planning birdwatching trips. Perhaps the most rewarding birdwatching region in England, East Anglia is enduringly popular with birdwatchers. This popularity has been reflected in Where to watch birds in East Anglia. The authors provide in-depth coverage of the best sites in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. For this edition, site accounts and maps have been fully revised and there is a new section - The Change in Status of the Area's Breeding Birds."

Norfolk Broads

Paul Sterry

Dial Press

1995

"A title from the Regional Wildlife series, which covers the animal and plant life to be found in the Norfolk Broads, outlining sites of particular interest."

The Natural & Unnatural History of Norfolk's Birds

David North

1993

"An unusual and fascinating look at the lives of a selection of Norfolk's most distinctive birds, with 22 full page watercolor illustrations by Frank Jarvis. The species biographies include not only a description of some of the less well known natural history details of each bird, but many of the myths, legends and folklore stories associated with these birds."

Island of Terns: Warden of Scolt Head

Bob Chestney

1993

"Autobiographical account of the life and career of Bob Chestney MBE and his work at the National Trust island reserve on the North Norfolk coast."

Birds of the Holkham Area

Andrew Bloomfield

Where to Watch Birds: East Anglia

Peter & Margaret Clarke

Christopher Helm

2nd edition

1991

"East Anglia remains the most rewarding area in England for birdwatchers. This fully revised edition of a standard text contains the most up-to-date information available on the region. The detailed coverage of each site, and the wealth of information throughout the book ensure that this guide will be sought after by resident and visiting birdwatchers alike."

The Birds Of Great Yarmouth

Peter R. Allard

1990

Blakeney Point and Scolt Head Island

Reginald Jones

5th Edition

1989

The Birds of Sheringham

Moss Taylor

Poppyland Publishing

1987

"For over 100 years the North Norfolk Coast has been recognised as an important area for recording bird migration. Until recently however, attention has been invariably directed at Cley and Blakeney Point. The Birds of Sheringham extends the detailed coverage of the region,including all the area within the map square TG14. It stretches from Weybourne in the West to the Runtons in the East and includes most of Feldbrigg Great Wood. Moss Taylor has drawn together the observations of past and present birders into a valuable and fascinating work of reference."

Where to Watch Birds: East Anglia

Peter & Margaret Clarke

1987

The Norfolk Bird Atlas

Geoffrey Kelly

1986

An atlas showing the status of breeding birds in Norfolk.

Countryman's Memoirs: A Warden's Life on Blakeney Point

Ted Eales

1986

Memoirs of Ted Eales who was warden at Blakeney Point in the 1960s and 1970s.

A Check-List of the Birds of Cley

Steve Gantlett and Richard Millington

2nd edition

1986

Where To Watch Birds in Norfolk

Steve Gantlett

S.J.M. Gantlett

1985

"Lists over 40 sites for birds throughout the county. Plus a checklist of all birds seen in Norfolk up to the end of 1984. Inludes b/w maps and line drawings."

Birds of the Norfolk Broads

Reginald Jones

Revised Edition

1985

Cley Marsh And Its Birds

Billy Bishop

1983

"Cley has been described as'the Mecca of ornithologists for the last 140 years', and Billy Bishop was warden of the Norfolk Naturalists' Trust Nature Reserve at Cley from 1937, eleven years after it had been started, until his retirement in 1978. His memoirs are a fascinating account of a world which has changed dramatically, from the days of the Gentleman Gunners whose great objective in life was to shoot the rarest birds for their collection, but who had an unrivalled knowledge of their subject, to the modern methods of conservation and management of habitat. Billy Bishop has some marvellous stories to tell, both of past characters, gunmen and wildfowlers, and of the birdwatchers and photographers of today. But his book is also the story of the successful creation of a superb reserve, and of the many unusual birds which have been seen there. A checklist of the birds sighted at Cley, with brief notes on their rarity, is included, as are extracts from his diary as warden, with the highlights of forty years' work, including the return of lost breeding species such as the black- tailed godwit, the avocet and the bittern, and the story of how an injured bittern which he had rescued helped to solve the vexed question of how bitterns boomed. This delightful book will be a must for the birdwatcher, but will also appeal to a much wider audience."

A Season of Birds: A Norfolk Diary 1911

Jim Vincent

Illustrations: G.E. Lodge

Weidenfeld & Nicolson

1980

"At the turn of the century a rich Cambridge undergraduate, the Hon. Edwin Montagu, visited the Norfolk Broads and befriended a local boy, Jim Vincent. Their excursions together formed the basis of a friendship that lasted nearly twenty years, cutting across the barriers of social position and background. Later Montagu returned to Hickling for the shooting, and Vincent, now his keeper, taught Montagu the bird lore of the Broads. As his interest in the area developed, Montagu, by now a minister in Asquith's government, decided to preserve a bird diary kept by Jim Vincent in an unusual and delightful way. He commissioned the eminent Edwardian bird artist, G. E. Lodge, R.A., to illustrate it. The result was a meticulous and vivid study in words and pictures of one of the richest bird areas in Europe. Over 200 birds were recorded, as well as Vincent's account of his pioneer work in preserving rare species. Copiously illustrated in watercolour and pencil sketches, this remarkable find is now published for the first time. Vincent became an outstanding ornithologist and the creator of a remarkable bird sanctuary. His daily observations will be of particular interest to those concerned with the changing pattern of bird life during the last seventy years. With over 90 illustrations in colour, A Season of Birds will give lasting pleasure to both bird lovers and the general reader. It is introduced by Vincent's son, Edwin, named, out of respect, after his father's patron and friend."

East Anglia and its Birds

Peter Tate

1977

"East Anglia is a region of great ornithological interest. It contains a wide variety of landscape which is reflected in the diversity of its birdlife, and is the home of a number of important bird reserves and observatories. The Broads and Fens, the rich farmlands, forests, heathland and Breckland, together with the coastal areas provide an extensive range of habitats for breeding species, some of which breed, in Britain, only in East Anglia. The proximity of the continent results in the regular occurrence of rare and scarce birds, sometimes in great numbers. The author describes the structure of the region, its history, and the influence these have had on the birdlife. He devotes separate chapters to the main areas, giving much useful information about the birds the reader is likely to see whilst visiting. Another section provides short biographies of those naturalists of the past who have, by their observations, laid the foundations of the literature. The book concludes with a complete list of all species known to have occurred in East Anglia, together with a summary of their distribution and status."

Birds of the Norfolk Broads

Reginald Jones

Revised Edition

1977

Nature In Norfolk: A Heritage In Trust

Norfolk Naturalists Trust

1976

An Annotated Checklist Of The Birds Of Blakeney Point

D.J.B. White

1969

Birds Of Norfolk

M.J. Seago

1967

148 pages including maps, colour plates and a checklist

The Broads

A.E. Ellis

The New Naturalist 46

1965

"Mr. Ellis, a leading authority on the region, owns and lives on Wheatfen Broad. Over many years he has compiled, with the help of other experts, this general guide to the natural history of the Broads. For the tourist, there is a lively account of the history and nature of the Broads, what they are and what they contain, .For the naturalist there are also detailed lists of Broadland species, both flora and fauna, including a unique long appendix on broadland insects."

Birds of the Norfolk Broads

Reginald Jones

1962

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

R.A. Richardson

1962

Bird Pageant: Field Studies Of Some East Anglian Breeding Birds

A.W.P. Robertson

1954

192 pages with 44 b/w plates. Observations of birds and an account of setting up RSPB bird sanctuaries in East Anglia.

Saga of Swans and Harrier over the Fen

Kenneth Richmond

1949

"This book. which contains two narratives of bird life, will delight the wildfowler, the bird watcher and the nature lover. Saga of Swans is largely the result of the authors's observations of a solitary Whooper Swan which spent two years on a Lincolnshire mere. during that time there were ample opportunities for studying the the swan at close quarters and of getting to know it as an individual and as a character. The life of the swan is pictured; his home life in Iceland; his flight with his family to the Outer Isles thence to Solway, the Northumbrian lochs, Derwentwater and Crowland Wash, and his sojourn there for two seasons with a pair of Mute Swans.

Harrier over the Fen describes the private life of one of the rarest of British breeding birds, the Marsh Harrier. Here too is a tale crowded in incident, yet with a background which is strictly authentic. This is a world of sedge and dyke, peopled by the skulking Bittern, the sly Rail and above all, floating like a spirit of the waters, the figure of Girriak, handsomest and most majestic of fenhawks'.

Norfolk Bird Life

Reginald Gaze

1949

Includes black and white photographs.

Memories Of Cley

E.C. Arnold

1947

Bird Haunts In Southern England

G.K. Yeates

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.

A History of the Birds of Norfolk

B. B. Riviere

1930

Includes a fold-out map and black and white photographs.

Notes on the Birds of Cley, Norfolk

H. N. Pashley

1925

Reprinted by Christopher Frost in 1992

Broadland Birds

E. L. Turner

1924

With 70 black and white photographs.

Wild Life On Norfolk Estuary

Arthur H. Patterson

1907

From author's note:

"A short preface seems to me necessary in order to explain my reasons for adding to the list of volumes relating to my beloved county. From my earliest boyhood Breydon, that most interesting tidal water lying to the west of Great Yarmouth, has had an unspeakable charm for me. My father hired an allotment garden at Runham Vauxhall, now built upon by the council schools. The gardens were separated from Breydon by a reedy ditch (wherein I first studied the habits of sticklebacks and ditch prawns), the New Road, the railway, a wide marsh, and the 'walls.' When I was sufficiently big to climb the tool shed, I used to do so to catch a glimpse of a silver streak that edged the apex of the walls at high water that was Breydon. The boom of a distant punt-gun and the sharper crack of a fowling-piece conjured up in my mind strange fancies, which were heightened by the scream of the startled wildfowl, and the passing to and fro overhead of great flocks of gulls. I caught my first real glimpse of Breydon one day when, armed with a fish-head and a length of knotted twine, I slipped down, with other muddy urchins, unknown to my father, to the riverside, in quest of a 'sea-sammy' (crab), which I dared not take home."

Notes And Letters On The Natural History Of Norfolk : More Especially On The Birds And Fishes

From The MSS Of Sir Thomas Browne

With Notes By Thomas Southwell

1902

From the introduction:

"These notes and letters were first published by Simon Wilkin in his Edition of Sir Thomas Browne's Works in 1835, but they were not treated from a naturalist's point of view, and in some places were not correctly transcribed, added to which, in the vast mass of matter contained in Wilkin's four large volumes (or in the closely printed three volumes of Bohn's Edition), these interesting passages are in danger of being overlooked or are inconvenient for reference. Two letters, moreover, were needed to make the correspondence with Merrett complete, and these I have been enabled to supply. I hope also that my explanatory notes, which I trust will not be deemed too voluminous, will be found more useful than the necessarily brief notes furnished by Wilkin and his collaborators. Furthermore, I think that the retention of the original spelling and punctuation may lend a charm to the quaintness of the language which is in a measure destroyed by any attempt at modernising. There is much that is interesting bearing upon Natural Science scattered throughout Browne's writings, especially in his Pseudodoxia Epidemica, or inquiries into Vulgar and Common Errors, first published in 1646, and the reader cannot fail to be impressed not only with the extent of his classical knowledge but also with the shrewd- ness with which he pursued his original investigations ; but here it is only proposed to deal with certain manuscript notes and a series of rough notes for, or copies of, letters addressed to Dr. Christopher Merrett, the author of the Pinax Rerum Naturalium Britannicarum."

Norfolk

William A. Dutt

J.M. Dent & Co

1900

Includes a chapter "Bird Life In Norfolk" by Rev. Robert C. Nightingale.

Opening lines of the Bird Life chapter:

"The old fame of Norfolk as a dwelling-place of the rarer British birds and the home of an unusual number of different species has somewhat suffered of late years, mainly through the reclamation of waste land and water and the increase of game-shooting. The din and bustle of game-driving especially have frightened many birds from the woods and coppices to which they formerly resorted. The popularity of the Broad district has tended to banish some of the birds peculiar to that district. These numbered a few species all but unknown in other parts of Great Britain, and their partial loss is a sorrow to the bird lover that he is not compensated for even by the well-deserved popularity of the neighbourhood which his bird friends have deserted."

Birds Beasts And Fishes Of The Norfolk Broadland

P.H. Emerson

1895

Illustrated with 68 photographs by T.A. Cotton.

From chapter one: The Speckled Thrushes:

"The speckled birds of the coppice and field are of varying degrees of distinction and attractiveness. The familiar Song Thrush, or 'Mavish,' as the fenmen call him, is our dearest songster. He is, moreover, the most delicate of the speckled tribe, although he is the earliest riser of all the birds, singing of a morning before the lark. When the grey mists of February soften the outlines of the farm-buildings so that they hang in the air like castles, and the lone trees rise from the upland like weird ghosts, the mavis begins to sing his beautiful love-song with its series of triple notes ending abruptly with 'pretty boy.' He delights to sit of a morning on a bare sprig of thorn-tree overhanging a holl, and pour forth his song ere he goes a- hunting for worms, startling them from the soft ground, and killing them (when caught) as a heron kills an eel. After eating but half of his slippery quarry mayhap, he goes a dodman gathering, carrying his prey to some stone-anvil by the roadside to crack the husk that guards the succulent flesh. And if dodman meat taste as sweetly to him as the Escargot de Bourgogne does to us, well may he seek it far and wide."

Man And Nature On The Broads

A. Patterson

1895

Preface:

"Ten years ago a book on Broadland would have needed a lengthy introduction - the likeness of its spreading lagoons, their whereabouts, attractions, and delights would have required treatment in detail to have become intelligible to many who live outside the county that boasts their possession. Now everyone knows them, many by a personal inspection, most by repute. In summer crowds of yachting folk, and excursionists by rail, steamer, and road, visit these reed-surrounded, coot-haunted waters. But to know them thoroughly is to visit them at every season of the year a privilege beyond the means or possibilities of all save the favoured few who live 'upon the spot.' Man and Nature on the Broads will undoubtedly prove interesting to both those who know them and those who would like to, and as it is the first venture which has professed to give anything like an all-the-year-round glimpse of its people and bird life and general aspects, it may be equally acceptable. The advance of education, an altered state of agriculture, and several other causes operating such as will be further commented upon in some of the chapters have materially altered the personnel of the inhabitants, their ways and customs, and methods of life. Some, like the birds, have become rara aves, and will probably as individuals become extinct, as some avine species have also become. The experiences and opinions of a few of these nearly obsolete characters will be found in Man and Nature."

The Birds Of Norfolk With Remarks On Their Habits, Migration And Local Distribution, Vol. III

Henry Stevenson

John Van Voorst

1890

From the introduction:

"In taking up the work laid down by Mr. Stevenson in 1877, never, as it proved, to be resumed, I feel that some explanation is due from one whom nothing but the force of circumstances would have induced to undertake the task. I was painfully conscious of the difficulties I had to encounter in following one so gifted with the innate faculty of observation and possessed of so pleasing a style of imparting the great store of information accumulated thereby. Nothing but the reproach that such a work should remain unfinished, and his expressed wish conveyed to me by his family, and above all the generous offers of assistance from friends, many of whom had already contributed largely to the preceding volumes, would have induced me to make the attempt of which I now present the result."

Ornithological Notes From Norfolk For 1895

J.H. Gurney

The Zoologist

1886

Opening lines:

"My register of Norfolk birds for the year 1895 contains entries concerning three rarities — the Broad-billed Sandpipers, the Black-winged Stilt, and Sabine's Gull, but is chiefly remarkable by the extraordinary number noticed of castaway Little Auks, which were still more plentiful further north. In fact, we in Norfolk only saw the tail end of the invaders. It is singular that up to 1862 Mr. Stevenson had booked not a single occurrence of this erratic little sea-bird in January (the month of this great invasion), and in 1890 Mr. Southwell, to whom I am as usual indebted for much assistance, could only mention one."

A Catalogue Of The Birds Of Norfolk

J.H. Gurney

Wertheimer, Lea & Co

1884

From the preface:

"From comparatively early days, Norfolk has stood preeminently forward for its richness in Natural History, and at the present time it fully keeps up its character by possessing an avifauna more remarkable, in many ways, than any other county. This it owes, in great measure, to its geographical position. The East Coast of England - and Norfolk in particular - witnesses, every autumn, the advent of a huge feathered host from Scandinavia. This vast array is heralded by arrivals, in September, of redstarts, wheatears, pied flycatchers, little stints, pigmy, curlews, common sandpipers, dunlins, etc., but when October sets in the greatest rush takes place."

The Birds Of Norfolk With Remarks On Their Habits, Migration And Local Distribution, Vol. II

Henry Stevenson

John Van Voorst

1870

From the preface:

"In completing a second though not final volume of the "Birds of Norfolk," I feel that some explanation is due not only as to the unavoidable delay in its publication but as to the motives which have induced me to extend the former plan of the work. I should state, then, that in the endeavour to render my account of the Great Bustard as complete as possible, with reference alike to its habits and habitat, when an indigenous species in Norfolk, and to the history of such specimens of either birds or eggs as are still preserved in public and private collections, I was led into so considerable an amount of correspondence that this paper had been but recently completed, when read, in a condensed form, before Section D, of the British Association, at their meeting in Norwich, in 1868. This species, therefore, which, according to the classification I have adopted, properly commenced the present volume, may be said to have stopped the way for a considerable period, and has thus been the chief cause of a delay which I certainly have less reason to regret, since it has enabled me to put on record facts, retained only in the memory of our oldest inhabitants, and which a very few years hence would have been procurable only in a traditionary, and, therefore, far less reliable form."

The Birds Of Norfolk With Remarks On Their Habits, Migration And Local Distribution, Vol. I

Henry Stevenson

1866

From the preface:

"The extreme richness of the Ornithology of the county appears to have early attracted the notice of Norfolk naturalists, and fortunately the records of their observations are to a great extent preserved to us, though scattered amongst the "Transactions" of Learned Societies, and other publications, not always accessible to the general reader. To combine a resume of the facts thus handed down to us, with the result of personal observations extending over several years, was the idea that first originated the present work ; and there is, perhaps, no better motive for incurring the labours and doubtful honours of authorship than the desire to supply to others a want that has been personally experienced."

A List Of The Birds Of Norfolk With Remarks On The General Ornithology Of The County

Henry Stevenson

William White

1864

A Catalogue Of The Norfolk And Suffolk Birds

With Remarks By The Rev. Revett Sheppard, A.M.F.L.S. and the Rev. William Whitcar, A.M.F.L.S.

Transactions Of The Linnean Society

1827

Opening lines:

"The proximity of the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk to the northern part of the Continent, affords an opportunity to many migrative species of birds to visit these parts of the kingdom, in their passage to and from their breeding haunts. The abundance of food which the sea-coasts, rivers, and marshes supply to the waders and web-footed birds forms an attraction to these tribes. Hence this district is particularly favourable to the pursuits of ornithologists. The following paper has been drawn up with a view to facilitate such pursuits, and to illustrate the history of several species of birds. Its object will be sufficiently answered if this end shall be in any degree accomplished; and, at the same time, some light thrown upon the wisdom and goodness of the Author of Nature in the works of his creation.

The classification and names adopted are those of the second edition of Temminck's Manuel d'Ornithologie, a work which evinces in its autlior a more extensive and accurate acquaintance with the birds of Europe, than any other that has been hitherto published."