Καλές μέρες. Part Two

Wow, it’s hot up here in the North West England, 24 degrees it seems. 

Not as hot as London and the South East but the folk down there have a lot more to enjoy and celebrate than us barbarians. 

As promised, here’s more news, views and photos from Skiathos May 2026. There’s lots of photos to pic and click for the full experience. 

The hired Suzuki Jimny took us to places mere cars cannot reach although even in a 4x4, and following a winter of rain, mudslides and essential traffic, the island’s many unmade tracks to the north of the island were not pleasant to ride. 

Skiathos

A visit to Evangelistria Monastery for breakfast is an easier option. A fast uphill drive in first gear taking care to avoid oncoming local traffic more familiar with the gradient and endless twists & turns. There’s a good view down to JSI Airport and places in between with always a very high Buzzard, a passing Hobby or two and the inevitable shrike. 

Evangelistria

Evangelistria

Evangelistria

Evangelistria

Evangelistria

Evangelistria 

Evangelistria Monastery of Greek Orthodoxy is an active working monastery and the only fully operational one on the island of Skiathos. 

A small community of monks still lives, worships and maintain the grounds. Alongside their religious duties the monks manage various traditional operation including wine production of their famous Alypiakos wine, olive pressing and looking after the on site museum. 

There is also a fine cafe to serve the many tourists in the summer months and locals throughout the off season. We once made the mistake of going there on a Sunday morning but found it impossible to park in the large car park or leading up to it such were the huge numbers of people arriving to worship.  

Red-backed Shrike

Hobby

Evangelistria Monastery

Church at the Monastery

Monastery Garden

Our newly made friends, two discerning monastery doggies, were interested in our omelette containing Gouda & bacon but not the accompanying bread which both chose to leave. We said goodbye to them, promising to return another day with Greek sausage. That might be to their liking. 

Evangelistria 

Evangelistria 

The drive down to Skiathos Town passes Aghia Zoni, a tiny and immaculately kept chapel with fabulous views and the ever-present blue & white flags of Greece, a common sight throughout the entire country. Would that we Brits were encouraged to show pride in our nation and culture by displaying The Union Flag, a reminder of a remarkable success story of enterprise, endeavour, creativity and history that stretches back thousands of years. 

Aghia Zoni

From Aghia Zoni a chapel on the hillside

 

A left turn at the bottom of the never ending downhill slalom took us towards the International Airport JSI, the traditional boatyard and the paralia (coastline) that leads into Skiathos Town. We stopped for a look towards the town from a favourite view point where some times there are egrets, shags and occasionally a Kingfisher. 

 

Viewpoint

Viewpoint

The Boatyard - Skiathos

European Shag

Grey Heron

We stopped as instructed at Skiathos’ only set of traffic lights even though not many vehicles do so but where a photo of Mylos Taverna proved irresistible. 

 

Stop!

The SAS

Jet2

Mylos Taverna

Super Star Two is the latest and magnificent giant super-ferry to travel between the islands, the main stopping points being Skopelos, Skiathos, Alonissos and the Greek mainland at Volos, Thessaloniki. We set off to get closer views of the monster ship and watch the activity of the arrivals, departure and inevitable drama of this daily occurrence. Remarkably, the entire turnaround of hundreds of people and dozens of vehicles large & and small is so well organised, practised and choreographed that within 15 minutes the ship pulls away from the quayside and off through the outlying islands to the next timetabled stop.

Walking along the sunny jetty, camera in hand is a photographer’s dream.

Skiathos 2026

Skiathos 2026

Skiathos 2026

Skiathos 2026

Skiathos 2026

Skiathos 2026

Skiathos 2026

Skiathos 2026

 

Another Jimny

I heard that real cameras are making a comeback now that many people have realised the limitations of mobile phone pictures. In a couple of  weeks I saw a tiny handful of people using a real camera, a mobile phone the default for 99.9% of would be photographers. A shame really because it is impossible to better pictures from a SLR or mirrorless device with a couple of lenses.

A smart phone is convenient for instant editing, and is useful  for everyday use and social media. However, a dedicated quality camera provides superior images from larger sensors, natural depth of field and complete manual control for all users, amateur or professional. 

The hot weather made me stay indoors and revert to blogging  for a change. Whether that means there will be Happy Days Part 3 is anyone's guess. Stay tuned to find out.

Καλές μέρες. Part One.

Yes. It has been a while.

May 4th 2026 at 0200 hours. Tiny taxi skidded across the IPhone screen, over the bridge, through the village, heading our way. Five minutes later headlight beams turned the corner to illuminate our luggage waiting patiently on the darkened driveway. Howard loaded our gear, spun the car around and headed off the way he came and then towards the M55. Destination Manchester Airport and flight Jet2 LS1729 to Greece. 

Taxi drivers meet many varied people and it's no secret that they like to chat, sharing news and views on life. Most have a good handle on the pulse of Joe Public and are not shy to share their own opinions. When I mentioned my dislike of football, my fear of the coming World Cup but my love of cricket Howard changed tack and moved to the state of Britain, a subject close to the heart of 99% of his passengers of recent months all of whom have apparently suffered from symptoms of cold rage. By Terminal 2 Howard and I had solved all the world's problems and agreed the right way forward would be to not pay a TV licence and to never, ever buy a newspaper. The lively discussion allowed Sue to grab a a little snooze.

Howard disembarked us at the Jet2 end of Terminal 2 where a phalanx of friendly red-tailored youngsters greeted and sorted us in double quick time. It’s no wonder we dumped TUI years ago to now find that Jet2 overall service is superior in most respects; Germanic efficiency is not as it was whereby whole Facebook Groups are devoted to the subject of customer complaints and TUI’s misfortunes. 

Jet2 

Reading flight boards is an exercise and education in the geography of deciphering letter codes of sometimes distant, often nearby destinations. We noted that EGPD is not an airport in Egypt but Aberdeen Airport Scotland and that KACT, Waco in Texas USA was not for us. Lower down the unending display we found it – the mystery that JSI = Skiathos with the message “Wait in Lounge”. So we did just that while taking our respective morning pills with a cup of very expensive lukewarm coffee. 

Manchester Airport May 2026

As we flew east to the warmth and sun of Greece The Alps below were blanketed in snow, a seemingly icy wilderness where people spend holidays falling over and breaking limbs. It’s all good harmless fun but not for us. 

The plane manoeuvred lower as it passed over Northern Thessaloniki towards the tiny island of Skiathos marooned in the Aegean Sea some 250 miles north of Athens. Arriving from an easterly direction with the sound of landing gear slowly unwinding we passed close to the island of Skopelos on our right and Skiathos Town almost directly below. Plane spotters would be waiting for us. The hobby is very similar to Birding 2026 but a little more dangerous when stood behind an Airbus about to take off.

Plane Spotters Skiathos

Skiathos, Greece

Lumps in the throat formed as we thumped onto unyielding tarmac and the air brakes kicked in with a vengeance. We were back to beloved Skiathos for 19 days and 19 nights. 

Without the nonsense of EES we passed quickly through airport necessities. A smile, a “kalispera”,a stamp in a passport, grab the waiting cases and off we trotted into the waiting sunshine. In their infinite wisdom Skiathos had weeks ago decided that during busy arrivals and departure times they would dispense with rules from the Brussels commissariat and instead use a common sense approach in allowing innocent travellers and waiting businesses to enjoy their times and Euros together. 

Maria was waiting with the Jimny, a newish vehicle in a khaki colour that Magda had earmarked for us when she discovered my own purchase of a JB74 in late 2025. While no colour match for my metallic blue Jimny, the khaki shade fitted the bill to blend into the rugged Skiathos landscape. During our stay we would meet more JB74s, a cool car, blue or khaki.

Jimny x 2

Jimny UK

Jimny loaded up we hit the road with a dash and then a splash of water, orange juice, fresh strawberries, butter, Greek yoghurt, a bottle of ouzo and other essentials from Slaventis supermarket along the Ring Road. Slaventis has real live people serving at real food counters. Fish, cheeses, fresh meat, fruit & veg that can be picked and chosen from display by a customer to their own requirements Hand it to a staff member to weigh and ticket followed by a cheery “efcharistó” from both is a civilised way of shopping. Not your average Tesco experience. 

Slaventis Skiathos

Slaventis Skiathos

Slaventis Skiathos

Slaventis Skiathos

Just twenty minutes later and after negotiating Skiathos’ single roundabout we took in coast road views to eventually drive into The Almira car park where Anna waited for us at the hotel entrance with hugs and kisses while asking why we were late. 

Aghia Paraskevi. Next stop Troulos

 

When Anna clocked the bulging supermarket bags she knew the score. Within minutes we had the best room ever in the hotel. A private bungalow room aptly numbered 101 with grassy space for two sunbeds, table and chairs and probably anything we asked for. There was a view of the hotel grounds, bar and swimming pools, and over the back an unkempt field with Barn Swallows, Red-rumped Swallows, Swifts, a resident Little Egret, Night Heron, Grey Heron. One morning came a couple of late migratory Bee Eaters plus a gang of rather lazy sheep that lived on site. For now! 

Night Heron

Red-rumped Swallow

Little Egret

Almira Hotel

Bee Eaters

Our long-standing friends Anna Mathinou and husband George (Giorgios) Diolettas run the most amazing hotel and attached Restaurant Oregano. The grounds and rooms are immaculately maintained by a superb team of friendly people who appear to love Anna and George as much as we do. 

We remembered when George and Anna adopted the Almira in 2017. The old place, then known as The Beltsios was run-down, neglected, the subject of serious family squabbles and not in demand by discerning tourists. It became something of a dump, in danger of falling apart at the seams. At the time Anna worked at Skiathos Town Hall, George was Bank Manager of the Alpha Bank in Skiathos Town when they quit their jobs at similar times to adopt what they saw as a business opportunity and chance to achieve something extraordinary. 

Anna Mathinou

George Diolettas

Entrepreneurship. It’s a word and a characteristic no longer admired or encouraged in Britain, now ignored in favour of punishing those who look to better their own and the lives of their family, to provide work, employ others and to make a creative, happy society for the good of all. 

No, our useless UK government and politicians can only investigate and introduce ways for us to pay yet more taxes, destroy initiative, success and enterprise and to then waste the money on ill thought schemes that no one wants or ever voted for.

George showed me his PC record, photos of the work that he, his brother and Anna did to bring the hotel back to life. They became painters, plumbers, joiners, builders, electricians and anything they could turn a hand to learn. As the pages of the screen turned, so the transformation followed, proof on record for all to see. The Hotel Almira with The Oregano is now a leading light of the Skiathos holiday and Tourist Trail, admired by locals and holiday makers alike as Anna and George go from strength to strength. 

Here’s a few pictures of the brilliant team at Hotel Almira and the lovely, welcoming hotel created by George and Anna. 

Hotel Almira, Troulos, Skiathos

Hotel Almira, Troulos, Skiathos

Hotel Almira, Troulos, Skiathos

Joanna. Hotel Almira, Troulos, Skiathos

Hotel Almira, Troulos, Skiathos

George and VIP Guest May 2026

"Kalimera" Hotel Almira, Troulos, Skiathos

Oregano Restaurant, Troulos, Skiathos

Oregano Bar & Restaurant, Troulos, Skiathos

Oregano Restaurant, Troulos, Skiathos

Oregano Restaurant, Troulos, Skiathos

You can contact Anna and George direct or book a stay in Skiathos through Jet2. 

Happy Days. Part Two with more views and birds later. Stay tuned.

Bird Photographer of the Year, Collection 10

Another year goes by. It seems just yesterday that I reviewed Bird Photographer of the Year, Collection 9. And now, if a little late following the first package going missing in the post, Collection 10 arrives via a knock at the door from Parcel Force. 

Princeton’s Bird Photographer of the Year, Collection 10 celebrates bird photography from around the world, and as the sub-title explains this is the tenth iteration via a large format “coffee table” book of 11×9 inches. This is a perfect size with which to grab a cup of coffee, fully open said book onto a knee-height table and to then absorb the 250 or so fabulous photos. 

Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10 

Opening the early pages reveals the categories of winning entries together with the “special awards”, a list that follows a helpful, logical order enabling a reader to quickly locate their own specialism. In the case of myself, all of the categories apply except perhaps the concept of Creative Perspective, but one ideal for photographers of an artistic intent. 

Categories - Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10

 

Working slowly through the pages a reader will find close to each entry the photographer’s words around the how, the where and the when of the shutter clicks that captured their winning shot. These notes and explanations of the occasion of the photo detail a wealth of technological data for camera enthusiasts, amateur and professionals alike. Here is information about the camera make, the lens, shutter speeds, the aperture and the relative ISO for readers seeking to emulate or better the winning shot. It's a learning curve for sure in allowing us all to perhaps experiment a little more with our accustomed dial settings.

Free Whale Shower - Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10

Free Whale Shower - Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10

Almost without exception the pictures come from the leading makes of Canon, Sony, Nikon in either DSLR or mirrorless form with just the occasional Olympus. If only it was so simple because despite the technical data, these stunning pictures in isolation cannot explain a winning photographer’s vital skills in field craft, experience, empathy and the lying in wait in often inclement weather. And of course a photographer's knowledge of how birds behave under many different circumstances of the season, time of day, weather and external influences. 

An encounter with a bird or birds is impermanent, a one off, never to be repeated again, hence why, and to the annoyance of some, a photographer’s need to keep the button pressed until the buffer is full to bursting. Everyone is after that world beating picture as displayed in Collection 10. However those setting out in pursuit of birds with slightly less costly equipment should not be discouraged but instead take heart and advice from the stories here that luck, perseverance, timing and field craft are vital elements in taking that special picture.  

Northern Harrier and Grey-headed Fish Eagle - Princeton

As I penned these words while recalling my favourite pictures from Collection 10, I ran out of superlatives. In no particular order - breathtaking, captivating, exceptional, extraordinary, fantastic, phenomenal, stunning, striking, unique, evocative, impressive, mesmerising, timeless. 

Anhinga in Florida - Princeton

There is an overall victor of BPOTY with both winners and runner ups in all of the categories listed in the opening pages. Meanwhile the link to Princeton's page about the book  - Princeton does not feature many of the winning pictures, and where in my opinion, those featured are not the best of the fabulous 250 pictures described here. 

Princeton are right to expect that people buy and enjoy the whole book of 250 images with their corresponding and instructive information rather than a cursory scan of half a dozen images on a PC or mobile phone. However, for those yet to decide whether to spend £35 on this book it’s possible to view a better selection of the category winners at https://www.birdpoty.com/2025-winners.   

I interspersed the review with a few of my own favourites, however a reproduced image via a computer screen is not the ideal way to judge this book. Despite the drains and demands on all of our finances in these difficult times £35 is a relatively small sum of money to own a copy for future reference and/or to revisit on many a dark winter’s day. 

Flamingo - Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10

And as we approach the Chrismas festival of late December, other than the latest bells and whistles camera and lens that could cost £10,000 - £15, 000, what better gift could there be for the birdwatcher in your life than this splendid book?

Price: $39.95/£35.00 

ISBN: 9780691278674  

Published: Sep 30, 2025 

Pages: 256 

Size: 11.25 x 9 in. 

245 colour photos.

PS. To all my friends who enquired after my well being. Thank you so much. Yes, I am well but taking a lengthy break from blogging. Maybe I will return soon with more news and pictures.

Head In The Clouds

Caitlyn emailed me from Princeton ‘I am delighted to let you know about this one-of-a-kind illustrated guide to clouds, cloud formations, and the artists who painted them, publishing in April this year. I really feel that this book would be an excellent one for review and perfect for readers of Another Bird Blog’. Caitlyn is beginning to understand birders. I replied by return, “I agree Caitlyn”. 

 

Clouds - Princeton

 

The author of Clouds: How to Identify Nature’s Most Fleeting Forms is Edward Graham an award-winning lecturer and atmospheric scientist, latterly Editor-in-Chief of Weather, the flagship journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, from 2019 to 2024. His research interests include clouds, historical meteorology, and the influence of weather on astronomy. He is presently based at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland. 

Although not an obvious bird book I saw a tenuous link to birding that other bibliophiles might not. I could also envisage that many birder readers would enjoy learning about clouds or why in Britain we have more than our fair share of clouds. And rain. 

Most birders spend waking hours with their head in the clouds, looking upwards and listening, to where clouds often hide the real objects of their affections, their feathered friends. Birds fly above clouds, below clouds and through clouds, winged creatures hidden by those mysterious clouds, the visible masses of tiny liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere, floating in the sky at differing heights. 

“Clouds that wander through the sky, Sometimes low and sometimes high; In the darkness of the night. In the sunshine warm and bright”. 

Sometimes, birds are seen dropping through cloud and to then land virtually at your feet. Which birder has not read about the Great Fall of September 1965 when tens of thousands of migrating songbirds were swept across the North Sea, deposited from thick clouds to land all along the Suffolk coast?  This phenomenon of clouds releasing thousands of birds happens mostly on the east coast of Britain but can occasionally be observed around our Lancashire coast in late autumn when migratory thrushes are on the move. 

Knowledge and observation of clouds, their formations, height and direction of travel, all combined with a feel for reading the weather are useful tools in a birder’s armoury, skills that make for often memorable days when deciding that a cloudy rain-spattered day is not so bad and that heading out birding may turn up unexpected goodies. 

I was correct. When I checked the Clouds Contents and Index for a mention or two of birds I found none. Not to worry there’s a number of other books about birds and the weather, perhaps the best known being Weather and Bird Behaviour by Norman Elkins, or Birds and Weather by Stephen Moss. 

Clouds - Princeton

Clouds - Princeton

And then in the absence of birds I adopted a different approach and decided to just learn about clouds for a while, especially since the book combines in a unique way, clouds, science and another interest of mine, art. The book combines art and science while showing how to use meteorological techniques to identify the mysterious ever changing sizes, shapes, layers, movement, arrangement and texture of the many colours and varieties of cloud. 

John Ruskin Clouds - Princeton

Taking a lead from typical field guides the  chapters of Clouds are divided into a sort of taxonomic list - The Science of Clouds pages 42 to 135, Mid-Level Cloud Species 136 to 189 and for the cloud listers and twitchers - yes they do exist, at pages 190 to 215, Rare and Unique Clouds. 

And I discovered there is a Cloud Appreciation Society. Check it out at https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/. 

These are lengthy chapters indeed but pages where the text is interspersed with shorter more detailed information, a healthy 140 illustrations, diagrams, plus many reproductions of historic art to elaborate particular points for the reader. I found myself enjoying the art examples and skipping through the sometimes slow moving text in favour of the colour and drama of cloudy skies as portrayed by many famous artists. 

The artists are many, including John Constable’s famous sky studies, the painter of light J.M.W. Turner, the darkening precipitation of Gustav Courbet, Monet’s broken colour, the vivid skies of Vincent Van Gogh. Not forgetting Thomas Cole, he who wisely remarked that clouds “are the soul of all scenery”. 

Starry, starry night 

Flaming flowers that brightly blaze 

Swirling clouds in violet haze 

Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of China blue 

Colors changing hue 

Morning fields of amber grain 

Weathered faces lined in pain 

Are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand 

Van Gogh's swirling clouds

It was while enjoying the art pages that I finally found a reference to birds and birders. I empathised with the image of Nacreous clouds as portrayed by Edvard Munch in the famous emotional work The Scream and understood why he was screaming. The BBC got it wrong again, the clouds roll in, rain begins and bang goes another birding day, all a birder can do is to scream. 

Edvard Munch - Nacreous cloud

Eddy Graham’s style is an engaging narrative for even the most unscientific reader, mixing his story with essays on the physicists and artists who have explored clouds or pictured them for posterity in art galleries the world over. 

The chosen artists who use cloud to dramatic and often spectacular effect are many and varied with splendid often famous examples found inside the 140 colour pages. This twist to mix the subjects of science clouds with actual and historic art proves to be a triumph of imagination.

Clouds - Princeton

Clouds: How to Identify Nature’s Most Fleeting Forms and the information within provides a learning curve for birders who perhaps enjoy clouds but not necessarily the spits and spots of rain. Clouds are an ephemeral but necessary element of their pastime without thinking too deeply about interactions between the inseparable weather and cloud. 

And lets face it, all birders complain when a bright blue sky allows birds to travel at great height and to so evade both optics and their ever alert hearing. 

Clouds is a little out of the ordinary as a bird watcher’s book especially so when birders increasingly use the Internet and birdy news and even bird identification apps rather than the written word. However the modest sum of £25 for this bird related book will surely expand upon their knowledge and understanding of the birds, the weather, clouds and how they interact to make all of our lives richer. 

Price: $29.95/£25.00 

ISBN: 9780691262482 

Published: Apr 22, 2025 

Pages: 224 

Size:8.5 x 10.5 in. 

140 colour illustrations. 

 

Birds At Rest: The Behaviour and Ecology of Avian Sleep - A Review

Caitlyn of Princeton messaged to ask if I fancied reviewing a newly published book entitled Birds At Rest: The Behaviour and Ecology of Avian Sleep by American ornithologist Roger F Pasquier. I quickly replied “yes please”. 

Pasquier is well qualified to write the book: a career with BirdLife International, the World Wildlife Fund, the Environmental Defence Fund, and the National Audubon Society. He is currently an associate in the Department of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History. His books include Birds in Winter: Surviving the Most Challenging Season. 

Although written from the perspective of an American birder and ornithologist, the theme of birds at rest is global in scientific significance and understanding. Birds and how they spend half their lives is a subject for continuing study by birders of all persuasions, irrespective of their geographical location. 

Birds at Rest - Princeton

New World and Old World birds are all descendants of dinosaurs, creatures that roamed Earth some 130 million years ago, one of which, Mei long, was asleep when volcanic ash covered it in the same sleeping position that many birds use now. Mei long (sleeping dragon) was one of many species of small birdlike theropod dinosaurs living in the area of Liaoning, China all those years ago. 

The meaty chapters of Birds At Rest together with a comprehensive index contains many references to European birds and North American birds alike when readers with a particular interest(s) can quickly find the link they need. For example, Eurasian Wren lists alongside House Wren and others of the clan. Likewise there is information about European Pied Flycatcher, Oklahoma’s State bird the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and a description of how the female Yellow-billed Flycatcher of Central and South America builds a suspended pouch in which to sleep during the breeding season. 

Bird roosts, birds at rest and birds asleep has been a special interest of mine for many years, a fascination that stemmed from the early days of a ringing permit with a desire to learn more about the bird species found at roosts of my local Lancashire area of the UK.  Here was a subject that had been sorely neglected in the past, and where apart from the nationally known Starling roost of Blackpool Centre, there were few published records of roosting singles or roost assemblies. 

An early inspiration to better local knowledge was Peter Barnes who many years ago recorded large Corn Bunting roosts at Marton Mere, Blackpool. Sadly, Peter is no longer with us, the Corn Bunting is near extinct as a local breeding species and the existence of a winter roost of Corn Buntings is but a birder’s dream. 

There followed years of finding, tracking, confirming and ringing local birds at rest - Swallows, Chaffinches, Linnets, House Sparrows, Greenfinches, Redwings & Fieldfares, Blackbirds, waders, Long-eared Owls.  Much was learned from the many data sets sent to the BTO in those years when, unlike now, birds were plentiful. 

This preamble describes my justification, my reason and my desire to read Birds At Rest. To learn from history, and to discover how birds at rest are studied and recorded in the Digital Age of 2025 and beyond when GPS, electronic devices, radio telemetry and light-level geolocators are increasingly used. 

The Contents page shown below is an indication of how readers can enjoy and learn from this book, a volume for ornithologists, experienced birders, and for those on the learning curve of the world of birds. 

Birds at Rest - Princeton

The author has an easy style, a way with words coupled with a comprehensive understanding of birds, cognition gained from a lifelong experience amongst birds and fellow ornithologists. 

Birds at Rest - Princeton

Birds at Rest - Princeton

Birds at Rest - Princeton

 

The chapters contain many fascinating, insightful, often esoteric facts and figures about how birds spend half their lives, much, if not the majority of it previously unknown to me (and I suspect, to a good number of birders). 

We have all seen the massed huddles of penguins maintaining warmth on the Antarctica ice, but how many have witnessed 20 or more different species pressed against each other under rock ledges at 4000 metres in the High Andes? And did you know that Rock Ptarmigans on Svalbard in the Greenland Sea at 74-81° N live through ten weeks lacking almost any light and spend most of all day burrowed in the snow? 

I especially recommend to readers Chapter 10, Human Impacts. As might be expected the overall impact of the human race onto birds that need to rest and/or sleep is negative. Positives such as the warmth of industry, city centres, tree plantations and sugarcane fields are negated by increased light and noise and where living in close proximity to humans has exposed birds to invasive species and predators, impacts that has changed sleeping habits gained from millions of years of bird evolution. 

Birds at Rest - Princeton

I have given a taste only of Birds At Rest. I cannot recommend this book highly enough as a good read. It is original, illuminating, entertaining, educational and fascinating in so many aspects. From whatever direction of approach it is an exhilarating read for the layman or scholar alike and at £30 a throw better value than a subscription to RBA and the dead end of pin-drop birding. 

With a full 360 pages of text, minimal illustrations and no actual bird photographs this book provides a welcome change to the recent glut of field guides from publishers. This is a book to read and one to inwardly digest rather than a Sunday afternoon browser. 

This fine book was released in North America in February 2025 and only now is it published in Europe. Grab yourself a copy. You will not be disappointed. 

Price: $35.00/£30.00 

ISBN:9780691259963  

Published (US): Feb 18, 2025 Published (UK): Apr 8, 2025 

Pages: 360 

Size: 6.13 x 9.25 in. 

26 b/w illus.