Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19132 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 608 pages

Review
"A monumental effort by the authors and takes a worthy 'podium finish' in this year's award (the BB/BTO Best Bird Book of the Year 2005)." British Birds (Feb 2006) "(This book) has taken gull identification to a very advanced level and argues for some controversial species splits." Wildlife and Countryside (Dec 2005)

Customer Reviews

Stunning!
This book won the "Birdwatch" book of the year award in 2004, and it certainly deserved it. Gulls can - if you get into them - pose a fascinating identification challenge, because of the wide range of plumages exhibited by each individual species. This book covers in detail - and I do mean detail - the identification of all 43 "Holarctic" gulls. The species accounts are presented as a series of monographs, and while this means that to compare different species you have to flick between pages I can't think of a better was of presenting this depth of information. For each species there is an excellent text, a distribution map and numerous high quality colour illustrations and photographs covering all they key plumages, including hybrids. There are over 800 photographs in all (an incredible 46 of the humble Herring Gull alone), all with individual notes highlighting the specific features they show. Illustrations and photographs both have their pros and cons as identification aids - with this book you get the best of both worlds.

The standard of presentation is excellent, as usual with a Helm guide, and for the keen birder this book is a joy. A word of caution though - it's really not for beginners, who will be overwhelmed by the amount of detail and will miss the "side by side" comparisons of similar species that are a feature of good general field guides.

great - but tough
This book is not for the faint-hearted. It goes into the different Holarctic species (and subspecies) of gulls in great depth.
I live in an inland county and don't often see gulls (apart from black-headed and common) on the ground. So in some ways it is way beyond what I need. But it is a superb reference book. And I'm glad to own it.
The sheer amount of detail and no. of drawings and photographs is breath-taking.
As with all bird identification the secret is to get to know the common species intimately first. So getting to grips with the argentatus and argenteus races of Herring gull is probably my next step. Then, who knows, I may get to the point of being able to pick out a Caspian, yellow-legged or even American herring gull from a mixed flock. If I don't, it won't be the fault of Olsen and Larsson!