Derbyshire to many visitors is synonymous with Britain’s most visited National Park, The Peak District, almost all of which lies within the county. The spectacular White and Dark Peak landscapes are one of the main visitor attractions. The Park contains a wide variety of flora and fauna of which birds are of particular interest. To county residents and more regular visitors, however, Derbyshire birding offers much more than just the Peak District. Very different landscapes and habitats to the east and south are home to a birdlife contrasting with that found in the Peak District.This book is the result of almost 20 years of endeavour by the Derbyshire Ornithological Society. It follows on from the only two previous books devoted to Derbyshire’s birdlife, Whitlock (1893) and Frost (1978). It contains 319 accounts of species that have been reliably recorded in the county. Amongst those are 135 breeders for which distribution maps are given and over 100 are illustrated with black and white vignettes.Also included are sections on a history of Derbyshire ornithology, the Derbyshire Ornithological Society, ringing in Derbyshire, a general description of the county, a summary of Derbyshire statistics, changes to the county boundary, place names, the natural areas, a chronology of additions to the county list, fossil species, escaped and released species, unacceptable historic records, the breeding bird survey and a comprehensive gazetteer.Beautifully illustrated and with an abundance of information for the serious and armchair ornithologist alike, The Birds of Derbyshire will be the definitive study of the region’s birds for many years to come.
