The Birds of Leicestershire and Rutland

A weighty and thorough tome, this is the latest title added to the Helm County Avifaunas series. The counties of Leicestershire and Rutland may be land-locked but, nevertheless, have an extremely rich bird fauna. Some of this is, inevitably, down to the presence of man-made Rutland Water but despite this the counties have a wide range of habitats and a long history of bird recording and this is a fitting volume in which to bring all the data up-to-date. Following the layout of previous titles in the series, the counties are introduced, with each of the main habitat types being considered, before a history of ornithology in the region is given and then the main part of the book: the species accounts.

Book reviewed by Su Gough