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A lavish celebration of the seabirds of the British Isles.Seabirds are the living links between land, air and sea. They enjoy a freedom that even humans, with all our technological assistance, can barely imagine. Many species travel mind-boggling distances across the length and breadth of our planet before returning to land to breed in large, deafening and confusingly crowded colonies. Yet within this commotion each mated pair forms a bond of extreme closeness and tenderness that survives separation each winter and may persist for decades.
The long and geologically varied coastline of the British Isles provides homes for internationally important numbers of breeding seabirds. Visiting their colonies is always unforgettable, whether they are cliff-faces packed with Guillemots, islands white-capped by clustered Gannets on their nests, flat beaches crowded with screaming Arctic Terns or seaside rooftops overlaid with a second townscape of nesting gulls. The changing fortunes of these seabird cities reveal to us the health of the vast, unseen but incredibly rich marine world that surrounds us.
RSPB Seabirds showcases some of our most exciting and enigmatic bird species as vital and living components of one of our greatest natural assets: our coastline. The author presents detailed biographies of all the seabird species that breed in and around the British Isles, and also looks at the many species that breed elsewhere but which, regularly or occasionally, visit British waters. Every page of this sumptuous book features beautiful photographs of wild seabirds engaged in their daily work of hunting, travelling, protecting themselves and their territories, courting and raising a family.
List of contents
Introduction Seaducks Eider
Common Scoter
Red-breasted Merganser
Other seaducks
Divers and grebes Red-throated Diver
Black-throated Diver
Great Crested Grebe
Slavonian Grebe
Other divers and grebes
Tubenoses Fulmar
Manx Shearwater
European Storm-petrel
Leach's Storm-petrel
Other tubenoses
Gannets, cormorants and relatives Gannet
Cormorant
Shag
Other related species
Phalaropes Grey Phalarope
Skuas Arctic Skua
Great Skua
Other skuas
Gulls Kittiwake
Mediterranean Gull
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Other gulls
Terns Little Tern
Sandwich Tern
Roseate Tern
Common Tern
Arctic Tern
Other terns
Auks Guillemot
Razorbill
Black Guillemot
Puffin
Other auks
Recommended reading
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photographic credits
Index
About the author
Marianne Taylor is a life-long wildlife-watcher who lives by the sea in south-east Kent, UK. Since 2007 she has worked as a freelance writer, photographer and illustrator, focusing on wildlife and nature and, particularly, British birds. Her books include RSPB Pocket guide to British Birds, RSPB Garden Birds, The Way of the Hare and Dragonflight. She has a particular fondness for seabirds (even gulls) and is also a keen year-round sea-swimmer, at home and in other locations around the UK coast. Because of this, she has impressive tolerance to cold, a large collection of neoprene gloves and socks, and permanently messy hair.David Tipling is a well known professional wildlife photographer and birder. He is author of several books and his wildlife photographs have been widely published throughout the world.
Summary
A lavish celebration of the seabirds of the British Isles.
Seabirds are the living links between land, air and sea. They enjoy a freedom that even humans, with all our technological assistance, can barely imagine. Many species travel mind-boggling distances across the length and breadth of our planet before returning to land to breed in large, deafening and confusingly crowded colonies. Yet within this commotion each mated pair forms a bond of extreme closeness and tenderness that survives separation each winter and may persist for decades.
The long and geologically varied coastline of the British Isles provides homes for internationally important numbers of breeding seabirds. Visiting their colonies is always unforgettable, whether they are cliff-faces packed with Guillemots, islands white-capped by clustered Gannets on their nests, flat beaches crowded with screaming Arctic Terns or seaside rooftops overlaid with a second townscape of nesting gulls. The changing fortunes of these seabird cities reveal to us the health of the vast, unseen but incredibly rich marine world that surrounds us.
RSPB Seabirds showcases some of our most exciting and enigmatic bird species as vital and living components of one of our greatest natural assets: our coastline. The author presents detailed biographies of all the seabird species that breed in and around the British Isles, and also looks at the many species that breed elsewhere but which, regularly or occasionally, visit British waters. Every page of this sumptuous book features beautiful photographs of wild seabirds engaged in their daily work of hunting, travelling, protecting themselves and their territories, courting and raising a family.
Foreword
A lavish celebration of seabirds with outstanding depth of coverage and stunning photography, illustrating all aspects of seabird life and behaviour.
Additional text
Brilliant...excellent for any birder's Christmas stocking.
