The Crossley ID Guide: Britain and Ireland (The Crossley ID Guides) Flexibound – 11 Oct. 2013

I've got a number of bird ID books including the authoritative Collins Bird Guide and this is easily the most useful for UK birds.1) It's not full of details of birds that you won't see in the UK to confuse you2) Instead of drawings that never really represent the bird, it has photos, but multiple photos of the birds from different angles, at different distances and all the different plumages.3) It has descriptions of bird behaviour and habitat which are often vital for identification.The main problem is that 'proper' birders will look down their noses at it but you just have to ignore them. At some point you will be able to identify all the UK birds without needing a book and can move onto something more detailed but until then this is the best book I've found.

This book is great for identifying birds with pictures of each bird in different settings and poses.

I'm quite an experienced birder and this is really aimed at beginners but there is a huge amount of information about alternative plumages packed in these quirky photoshopped pictures. I laughed out loud at some of the backgrounds with elderly couples peering out and footballers playing. Subtle humour is a bit of a first for an ostensibly serious handbook. It does define habitat very well, however. Most of the birds you see are not adult males in spring plumage standing still while you check the book. Where this concept scores is in detailing very efficiently views of both sexes, immature plumages and various bird aspects including the commonest one of the bird flying away from you. I think the beginner still needs a formal reference book on the shelf, but this is the best-yet attempt to portray 'jizz' in all its forms and is an essential buy for anyone going birding. I shall constantly refer to it.

A somewhat revolutionary concept into bird ID. A radical change from the common format of bird guides, be it photographic or artwork. The author states the book should be seen as a 'workbook', the more you look - the more you see, the reader is greater employed with every plate. As another reviewer has stated, a beginner still requires a formal, conventional guide to accompany this publication. The same reviewer states also, it's the best attempt yet, at conveying the all-important 'jizz' of the bird, in that I fully concur. This book I gladly include in my guide book 'arsenal'.A caveat.This book relates to birds of Britain & Ireland (only), so why the American spelling of practice with an 'S' - 'practise'? Also, in the text on owls, I note faeces spelt 'feces' - yet more New World spelling. We then go to the plate on the Great Black Backed Gull, its killing of live prey e.g 'AMCO', which is ornithilogical shorthand for bird species, in this case the American Coot. Now dear authors & publishers, where is that relevant to British (Irish) birders? That's a nod to Uncle Sam too far!!*Try as I may, the right-hand column of page 18 (in the introduction) where the subject of size is to be discussed, its whereabouts makes no sense. I quote, "inside the front cover . . ." Er??? Indeed, that first paragraph reminds me of a cuckoo chick?Don't let my minor criticisms put you off, an otherwise fine book.

What a book, if you wish to own a Bird ID Guide then this has to be the one to own, superb book from beginning to end, you will never be disappointed. Richard Crossley and Dominic Couzens, have produced one great book,.The book is easy to use, from the introduction, how to use the book, How to be a better birder, some good and interesting content in this section,Bird Topography is a great section as it covers the following Topography, Song Bird, Raptor, Duck, Gull, and Wader, all the bird details are clearly marked and is all well done,.So I am well delighted with this publication, and will definetly recommend that if you are going to buy an ID Guide,on the birds of Britain and Ireland then this is the one as it puts all the other bird guides to shame.

Love the layout, good pics and loaded with good info. A bit heavy to carry everywhere, so leave it in the car!

Great if you are a begginer and like both helpful images and some descriptive help in identifying and discovering some habits of birds you spot.I found the photos very good and true to the real birds images.It got frowned upon by an expert birder during a visti to a nature reserve, but personaly I have found it of use to get me started before I could navigate through much more complext and descriptive guides (as the birds have an habit of disappering before you leaf through 500 pages of tightly packed writing and drawrings)Some of the facts describing the background of the species (migration, id, hunting/foraging habits) are even more informative than i found subsequentially in other books, so would say that the overal quality is very good.

I have many bird guides, but this is a favourite. Despite the unconventional approach of presenting a number of 'typical view' photographs of each bird in it common habitat, it really works and makes identification of unfamiliar species much easier.The original way of presenting pictures also makes this book much more approachable for a child or someone who is not your typical 'twitcher'Add in quality printing and a robust binding and this book represents impressive value.