Birds in Northumbria 2012

Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club have delivered fine annual reports for many years and 2012 is no exception. At 240 pages the report is packed full of just about everything related to Northumberland's birds, but editor Mike Richardson has successfully managed to combine detail with readability to produce another fine report.

Short Introduction and Monthly Highlights sections lead into the Classified List with species accounts for all 270 species observed in the recording area during 2012. Individual species accounts range from a few sentences on some species with few occurrences during the year to a half-page for most breeding species and passage migrants. Each covers breeding, migration and movements as well as any notable counts, and provides a detailed snapshot of the birds in the recording area during 2012.

The report combines a good mix of smart colour and black-and-white photographs from club members and numerous sketches and vignettes drawn from local talent that provide a folksy feel to some pages and soften the edges of the written accounts. The latter are supplemented with tables of monthly count totals for some key species and sites.

The reference section at the rear offers detailed accounts of Northumberland's first Stilt Sandpiper and second White's Thrush by the finders and the latest in an ongoing series of local site reports, in this instance West Hartford, written by observers who know the locality well.

Tables offer quick reference checks to first and last dates of both summer and winter visitors, and a detailed Ringing Recovery Report makes most interesting reading, as does a full annual summary of the Wetland Bird Survey.

Birds in Northumbria 2012 is available from Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club for £16 (inc p&p). Payment, by cheque/postal order, should be sent to: Trevor Blake, 6 Glenside, Ellington, Northumberland NE61 5LS.