The Book I Read.

 

I was digging around for a good bird book before Christmas and eventually decided upon A Sky Full of Starlings by Stephen Moss, which is an expanded compilation of his birding columns from The Guardian. All in all I enjoyed it, but found that it didn't speak directly to my own limited experiences of birding in the city centre.  There are a few too many 'I was out with so and so, the world's leading expert in...' and car journeys to and from well-stocked birding sites.  It was, however, interesting to read that some birds I take for granted are considered something of a rarity in Somerset, where he is based.  The book overall is enjoyable, with some interesting anecdotes, such as this one about migratory Goldcrests: "It used to be thought that Goldcrests were far too frail to attempt a sea crossing, so when large numbers turned up each autumn on our eastern coasts, it was assumed they had hitched a lift from Scandinavia on the backs of birds such as Short-eared Owls".  I wish I had the artistic skill to illustrate such a theory.