This review has no spoilers about the winners – you will first find out about them at the Bird Fair on Saturday at 4:15 in the Events Marquee with Chris Packham.
I was one of the judges for this competition, despite knowing little about photography. Of course we made perfect, finely-honed decisions about the winners, but this book contains hundreds of superb images and you can choose your favourites for yourself.
As a book it is a visual treat.
The Editor (Rob Read), designer (David Price-Goodfellow) and Myles Archibald and Julia Koppitz of William Collins are all to be congratulated.
The BTO and Nature Photographers Ltd are partners in this annual project, and the BTO’s young birders’ boot camp receives support from sales of this book and its predecessor.
But the real reason for buying the book is that it is just gorgeous. And that’s down to the skill of the photographers and the feathered fruits of evolution by natural selection that we call birds. Although I’ve seen all these images before I am revelling in lingering over them now – there is not a single one that doesn’t repay a closer look.
Today this blog will feature other books that you might find at the Bird Fair this weekend – some have been reviewed here already but their authors will be at the Bird Fair, others are new reviews. The Bird Fair is a good event to do many things – but you can snap up many books cheaper than you will find them elsewhere.
Remarkable Birds by Mark Avery is published by Thames and Hudson – for reviews see here.
Inglorious: conflict in the uplands by Mark Avery is published by Bloomsbury – for reviews see here.
Behind the Binoculars: interviews with acclaimed birdwatchers by Mark Avery and Keith Betton is published by Pelagic – here’s a review and it’s now out in paperback.
[registration_form]