The Birds of Southwest Leicestershire

“It is a work of art of which I have read with ease without getting bogged down in repetitive data.
I love the descriptions and it is now a ‘go to’ book for reference.”

David Goldsmith

Birdguides Official Review

“As soon as I received a copy of The Birds of Southwest Leicestershire, I suspected I was going to enjoy it. This tribute to a little area of England delighted me, the local birding aficionado, from start to finish. Perhaps part of the reason why is because the area the book covers is similar in many ways to my unassuming Surrey patch and, throughout its pages, I felt a great relatability.

South-west Leicestershire, it’s safe to say, is not one of Britain’s birding hotbeds. As the authors lay out in the introductory sections, waterbodies are scant and the region includes the exact geographical centre of England – it can’t get more landlocked than that. Yet despite these shortcomings, this is a book filled with fascinating birds and, perhaps more strikingly, decades of meticulous record-keeping. In many ways it is a testament to the note-taking patch birder – those who actually log their sightings and study the birds in their area. Indeed, I felt the two pages dedicated to explaining the importance of record-keeping was most welcome.

Context is key when it comes to local birding and the authors of The Birds of Southwest Leicestershire ensured it was a feature throughout, with early sections mapping out the recording area and its sites, while also taking a look at the prominent local birders down the years – those who ultimately made this title possible. The personal accounts were interesting to read. I particularly enjoyed the short tale about the intrepid local birder who explored quiet, obscure rural bridleways to establish where best to view Shawell Pits from – a site many will know due to its nationally significant gull numbers in recent years.

The images throughout the book are well-chosen and not too excessive. The habitat shots help to give an impression of certain sites that feature frequently, while the species accounts include photos, field sketches and artwork, the latter of which are delightful. I was particularly fond of the Alpine Swift – south-west Leicestershire’s only record – flying over the village of Croft; an exotic European overshoot with a quintessentially rural English landscape beyond it.

The three-tier introduction to each species again helps place the context of every bird, which is discussed in national, county and south-west Leicestershire terms. Like any inland region with dedicated birders, there are plenty of unusual species featured. And, of course, there are grim reminders of what we’ve lost – I was particularly shocked to read that Common Cuckoo is now less than annual – but also those that we’ve gained, in this case raptors especially.

Another element I thought was good was the inclusion of records that weren’t formally accepted by the county records committee but were deemed by the authors to be legitimate, marked with an asterisk. I can think of plenty of good records in my area that, for various reasons, never saw the official light of day.

In summary, this is a wonderfully evocative account of the avian life of a modest birding area of England. The authors should be immensely proud of their work – and the birders of south-west Leicestershire should feel proud about their contributions over the years. In the digital era, in which birding seems to take place online ever more, there is a nostalgic twang to this book, taking you back to a time when only the birds mattered. If you’re a passionate local birder anywhere in Britain then I heartily recommend getting a copy – perhaps it’ll serve as inspiration for you to write about the birds in your region.”

Ed Stubbs
https://www.birdguides.com/