An Illustrated Treasury on Britain’s Birds

Britain’s Birds is a charming illustrated treasury of 70 of Britain’s beautiful birds. With natural history facts, folklore and literary appearances, the books is a fascinating guide and makes the perfect gift for birders. The book features 40 custom illustrations.

Did you know blackbirds may have originally been white? Or the number of times you hear a cuckoo (determines how many children you’ll have?)

Or woodpeckers have special shock absorbers built into their beaks? Or in 1958, a puffin was blown inland to Bromley, where he knocked a man off his bicycle?

We’ve given human names to familiar garden birds, (Tom Tit, Jenny Wren) because we see them as friends. St Francis of Assisi (the patron saint of animals) reputedly duetted with a nightingale.

While a blackbird was said to have nested in the outstretched hand of Irish hermit St Kevin of Glendalough. Gaining trust of birds was a manifestation of holiness.

Jo Woolf is Writer in Residence at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. She lives by the sea, where she writes about landscape, wildlife and history.

• If you live with cats, keep them indoors at dusk and dawn, when garden birds are feeding.
• Don’t feed birds stale, mouldy or crusty bread (nor buttered bread, fat can smear on feathers, affecting weatherproofing and insulation).
• Never use brightly-coloured or tin bird houses (they overheat and attract predators).
• Read more on create safe havens for garden birds, and how to stop birds flying into windows 
• Don’t play birdsong near birds, it can confuse and attract predators.