Where to Watch Birds in Yorkshire

This third imprint of Where to Watch Birds in Yorkshire (first published in 1994) includes an additional six sites since the last edition, which was published in 1998. The book covers the traditional county of Yorkshire with the exception of four small regions in the west, which in 1974 became part of Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester, and also the part south of the River Tees, now included in the new county of Cleveland and covered in another of the Where to Watch Birds series.

John R Mather, author of the mammoth The Birds of Yorkshire (1986), has an unquestionable and perhaps unrivalled knowledge of Yorkshire birds. Putting together such a wealth of information must have been a monumental task, particularly for the first edition which I know John researched very meticulously indeed.

With over 110 sites covered in the book one would expect all major sites to be present, but one glaring omission is Edderthorpe Flash RSPB, which has become one of Yorkshire’s prime inland sites over the last decade.

The book follows the familiar format of the series, which includes indices of place names and species, allowing quick location of each site where a species has been found. Each site is described in terms of habitat, the birds one might expect to see and when, and how to get there. Detailed maps are provided for all the principal sites and the directions are generally clear and accurate. Grid references are also included, although I found that when a postcode was given, I was able to programme it into a sat-nav, making life much easier. This left me wondering if future additions of the series should include the nearest postcode for each site, which would surely aid location for the vast majority of those featured here.

The book’s claim to be “fully revised and updated” appears to be true, although I did come across a few things that were somewhat out of date. For example, the Goshawks at Wykeham are described as “occasional during late autumn and winter”, yet nowadays they are virtually guaranteed in suitable conditions. Dipper is described as “seen regularly on Scalby Beck”, when there is probably only one record in the last 10 years. Lastly, Gadwall numbers in the Wombwell Ings and Broomhill Flash area now regularly reach up to three figures, though the book states that “a few are present throughout the year and a pair occasionally nests”. Big Hedge, Spurn, is described as “a large and mature hawthorn hedge”; it was actually lost when flooded by salt water in the early Nineties and, although replanted, is still struggling to take hold.

But enough nitpicking –  at well under £20, this book represents genuine value for money. Despite the fact that I have birded the whole of Yorkshire for the last 40 years, a copy now occupies a prime place in my glove compartment  ... and you have to be choosy when you own a Corsa!

Tech spec

•  Where to Watch Birds in Yorkshire by John R Mather (third edition, Helm, London 2008).

•  320 pages, numerous maps and illustrations.

•  ISBN 9780713687828 Pbk, £16.99.

Available from Birdwatch bookshop

First published in Birdwatch 204:59 (June 2009)