A Bird-watching Guide to Lesvos

For anyone thinking of visiting Lesvos (Lesbos) this is a very useful addition to the literature on this Aegean birding hotspot. For over 10 years the standard reference has been Richard Brooks’ Birding on the Greek island of Lesvos but the explosion of birding on the island over the last decade has made much of that information outdated and lacking the details of more recently discovered sites. Steve Dudley’s A birdwatching guide to Lesbos remedies this situation with a thorough-going site guide, annotated species list, checklists for key taxa for all-round naturalists, plus more generic travelling tips you would normally expect in travel guides. The book is illustrated with crisp line illustrations but many of the photographs appear rather dull and grainy. Though the maps may be more up to date (and perhaps more accurate) than those in Brooks I found them rather dark and without a key it is unclear what the various shades of grey are supposed to indicate - is it habitat or altitude? Nevertheless this is an essential purchase for anyone visiting this superb island.

Book reviewed by Simon Gillings