RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds

Took this book on my trip to England and made much use of it, though of course nowadays you can find all this pretty easily on the internet.

Clear drawings of birds. Enough detail, would recommend. Fits in pocket, just about as women’s pockets tend to be smaller or sometimes non existent, compared to men’s. C’est la vie! I’ve made extra pockets in my jacket fir my art stuff, like the artist Samuel Palmer. It works!

A very informative guide. Slightly larger and thicker than I was expecting. It would stretch most trouser pockets but still worth every penny.

I have a big, heavy bird guide for all of Europe, but we were trying to travel light for a month-long vacation in Ireland. I also didn’t want to have to look past hundreds of European birds that are never seen in Ireland. This guide includes all the birds seen in Ireland (as well as UK, Northern Ireland, and Scotland), as well as many of the “rarities” in the back of the book that are sometimes seen. It was small enough to carry with me so I could flip through the pages to find the bird I just saw. Note that this uses the local names of birds, so there are some familiar birds that go by a different name than the US. It also has the official Latin names so I could cross-reference with the US names. Highly recommended.

This wee book does exactly what you would expect. It has clear photographs of the birds with good descriptions and pointers as to the most relevant distinguishing features. Birds are grouped in a logical way. Male and female and sometimes juvenile examples are provided. It is small enough to keep handy or take with you.