Charlie Elder is a journalist and author of the wildlife books, Few And Far Between, which describes his adventures in search of Britain's rarest and most endangered species, and While Flocks Last, an account of his travels in search of the UK's most threatened birds. He has written articles on British nature for national newspapers and magazines.

Written in an accessible and authoritative style... As a way of getting yourself familiar with core species it does an excellent job

• IntroductionWoodland, parks and gardensFarmland and wild spacesBirds of open skiesBirds of preyDucks, geese and swansOther lake and river speciesWadersSeabirdsThe UK Red List for BirdsFurther ReadingIndexPhotograph creditsAcknowledgements