The Finnish Bird Ringing Atlas Volume II / Suomen Rengastusatlas II

This is second volume of the Finnish migration atlas and follows the same excellent layout as the first volume, combining maps and diagrams to present a huge amount of information clearly and concisely. This volume covers Gulls, Auks, Owls (10 spp!), Pigeons, Woodpeckers (7 spp) and passerines (103 spp); species accounts vary from 1 (e.g. Red-flanked Bluetail) to 8 (Robin) pages in length.

In addition, there are some useful introductory chapters on the Finnish CES (Constant Effort Sites) scheme, the 14 Finnish observatories and an interesting chapter on the importance of ringing for research, which also highlights the benefits of co-ordinating ringing and nest-recording activities. The book is rounded off with an Appendix summarising ringing totals for the 100 years since 1913 when the scheme was established.

Book reviewed by Rob Robinson