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| Front cover |
Waders of Europe is a book dedicated to the shorebirds of Europe, written by Danish photographer and ornithologist Lars Gejl. It covers 82 species of waders, including all of the regularly occurring species in Europe, as well as a number of vagrants and rare visitors. The book is large-format and beautifully illustrated, with high-quality photographs of all of the species. It is also comprehensive, covering all aspects of wader biology, including their ecology, migration, breeding biology, taxonomy, topography, moult, plumages, and feather patterning.
The book begins with an introductory section that covers the general biology of waders. Like the following chapters, it is well-written and informative, and provides a good foundation for understanding the rest of the book. The part on topography and moult is particularly helpful, as it provides a detailed look at the physical structure and feather development of waders.
The next section of the book is a series of landscape-format images of waders in flocks. These images are remarkable, thanks to their original orientation, and they give a real sense of the scale and beauty of these birds.
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| Page featuring landscape-format images of wader flocks |
The main part of the book is a series of species accounts. Each account covers a single species of wader, and provides information on its etymology, jizz, plumage, identification, subspecies, voice, habitat, breeding biology, migration, and distribution. The accounts are written in a clear and concise style, and they are packed with information. The photographs that accompany the accounts are also excellent, and they show the species in a variety of plumages and habitats.
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| Extensive description of the species including different plumages |
Waders of Europe is an excellent guide to the shorebirds of Europe. It is complete, well-written, and beautifully illustrated. It is an essential resource for anyone who wants to learn more about these fascinating birds. I have found Waders of Europe to be a very helpful resource for identifying waders. The photographs are particularly useful, and they have helped me to identify a number of species that I would have otherwise struggled with. However, I do have a few minor criticisms of the book. First, there are no maps included in the species accounts. Second, there are a few instances where the subheading "habitat" has been mistakenly replaced by "distribution." Nevertheless, I would highly recommend Waders of Europe to anyone who is interested in shorebirds. It is a valuable resource that will be enjoyed by birdwatchers of all levels of experience. The book is too big and too heavy to carry, but ideal for checking against photographs taken after a birding trip.
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| Comparison of species side to side |
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You can purchase this book here.