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RSPB I D Spotlight Birds of Towns and Cities is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of 50 of our most widespread and familiar urban birds by renowned artist Stephen Message. Whether you''re spending time in a city centre, walking your usual route to the office or enjoying your local park, a rich variety of birds inhabit the UK''s towns and cities. Our urban green spaces offer us easy access to nature in our neighbourhoods, and even the most built-up areas can present exciting and surprising birdwatching opportunities.Observant urban birdwatchers might spy Peregrines nesting high on city buildings or witness thousands of Starlings gathering in impressive murmurations. The species in the chart are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification, while artworks are shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field. The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our urban birds, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how the RSPB is working to support them. The ID Spotlight charts help wildlife enthusiasts identify and learn more about our most common species using accurate colour illustrations and informative, accessible text.>
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.Stephen Message is one of the UK's foremost bird artists as well as an experienced birdwatcher. He studied graphic design, then specialised in natural history illustration at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and has worked as a freelance artist ever since.
Stephen has twice been runner up for the Bird Illustrator of the Year, and he was the Birdwatch Artist of the Year in 2017. He has illustrated many books in his career, including Waders of Europe, Asia and North America, and Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia, and painted the cover artworks for all four editions of the RSPB Handbook of British Birds.
