The Complete Guide to Ireland's Birds - 2nd Edition
Eric Dempsey & Michael O'Clery

Hardback - 262 pages.
Gill & Macmillan.
Can be ordered direct from Gill & Macmillan website To purchase a copy, click here.

The best-selling comprehensive guide to all the species of birds in Ireland, now fully updated in a second edition. The best book covering Irish birds.

The Complete Guide was originally published in 1993, quickly establishing itself as the best and most comprehensive such guide ever produced.

What makes it unique is that it covers all species recorded in Ireland, with an original layout showing birds in typical poses as well as standard identification plates. It includes the most up-to-date distribution maps and full descriptions of male, female and immature plumages, voice, diet, habitat and status in Ireland. It also includes brief descriptions of over 100 rare species.

In this second edition, recent changes in the Irish bird populations are incorporated. Some species, such as Corn Bunting, have become extinct in Ireland since the publication of the original Complete Guide. Others such as Little Egret are now well established. In addition, all the new species seen in Ireland since 1993 are included.

This book covers every species of bird recorded in Ireland to date. This is simply the outstanding guide to Irish birds.

The Complete Guide to Ireland's Birds can be ordered direct from the Gill & Macmillan website - To purchase a copy, click here

Where to Watch Birds in Ireland
Clive Hutchinson

Paperback - 272 pages. Christopher Helm.
This title is usually dispatched within 2-3 days.

The standard "Where to..." guide for the whole of Ireland. Good maps and site information.
62 major sites are described and mapped in great detail and 81 other less well-known are mentioned. Each main site has access details and lists the birds you are likely to see at certain times of the year. Hutchinson's style is enthusiastic and informative, and he lists many under-watched areas which could pay handsome dividends to those wanting to spend a bit of time birding away from the better known areas. Essential for planning any birding trip in Ireland.

Collins Top Birding Spots in Britain and Ireland
David Tipling

Paperback - 320 pages. HarperCollins.
Usually dispatched within 24 hours.

A great guide to the best spots if you are planning to visit Britain and Ireland.
The Hutchinson guide above is more thorough than this book in it's treatment of sites in Ireland, but if you're planning on visiting Britain as well then this is the book for you. Lots of information on reserves, access, birds and other attractions in the area.

Ireland's Lost Birds
Gordon D'Arcy

Paperback - 176 pages. Four Courts Press.
Usually dispatched within 24 hours.

A fascinating account of Ireland's extinct species.
It's not all doom and gloom though. The author's enthusiastic style and compelling narrative also give account of the increases and additions to Ireland's avifauna. Illustrated throughout, it makes for an interesting read.

First for Britain & Ireland - 1600-1999
Philip Palmer

Hardback - 328pages. ArlequinPress.
Usually dispatched within 24 hours

A wonderful book if rare birds interest you.
More than a few Irish birds appear in this account. Rather than long descriptions of plumage detail, each account of a new species descibes the finding of the bird, and makes for a terrific read. Many colour and Black & white photos illustrate the actual 'firsts'. (The title on the Amazon website is incorrect - the title above is accurate, and the link and price etc, is correct).

The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds
Ward J.M. Hagemeijer, Michael Blair (Editors)

Hardcover - 920 pages. T & AD Poyser.
Usually dispatched within 24 hours.

Although this mammoth work covers a far wider area than just Ireland, if you can afford it - get it.
Not only will this atlas give you a very good idea of what species breed where in Ireland, but it allows you to compare populations in other countries. The most recent atlas to cover Ireland.

The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1988-1991
David Wingfield Gibbons (Editor), James B. Reid (Editor), Robert A. Chapman (Editor)

Hardcover - 576 pages. Academic Press London.
Availability: This title is currently on order. We expect to be able to obtain it within a month.

The standard reference work for Ireland - becoming difficult to obtain, so order it now.
A superb atlas, which has set the standards for similar projects the world over. Although the maps are now ten years old, this is still by far the best guide to bird distribution in Ireland. Excellent text, wonderful maps.

Hardcover - 450 pages. T & AD Poyser.
Usually dispatched within 24 hours.

Although heavily slanted towards the birds of Britain, there is a huge amount of information on historical trends in bird populations in Ireland. A fascinating account of changes in our avifauna.
Ireland has suffered increasing urbanisation and changing farming practices, which have resulted in dramatic changes in our bird populations over the centuries. This book is a terrific read for anyone interested in the history of Irish birds and is another of the excellent Poyser series.