Publisher's Synopsis
Britain's position on the edge of the Western Palearctic means thatit receives a relatively high number of vagrant birds from both eastand west. The islands to the extreme north and west, and the fulllength of the east coast, are particularly favoured, and the many'twitchers' who patrol key sites in these places during migration timeare hoping to find rarities - but most of all each would like to find abird never before recorded in Britain - a 'first'.
Since 1980, a total of 76 bird species have been found for the firsttime in Britain. Each individual, although hopelessly lost and quitepossibly doomed, has brought birding celebrity for its finder, and aswarm of admirers to view the bird itself.
This new book is the successor to Birds New to Britain and irelandby Sharrock and Grant (Poyser, 1982), which covered the new birdsdiscovered between 1958 and 1980. The accounts of each new bird'sfinder are reproduced from their original sources (mainly from BritishBirds and Birding World).
This is fascinating reading for everyonewho has an interest in migration and vagrancy, has made the journey tosee any of the birds concerned, or has ever dreamed of finding a'first' of their own.
"This book.. will send many tingles of excitement through the older troops who witnessed some of these remarkable birds." British Birds
"A nostalgia-fest for keen twitchers and a tantalising read for anyone who hopes to find a first of their own one day." Birdwatch
