The Birds of Moray & Nairn

• The Birds of Moray & Nairn (second edition) by Martin Cook.
• Available to buy (£18 plus £3 p&p) from the author via email at martin.cook99@btinternet.com.

Changes to our birdlife are increasingly obvious in the field, and for lifelong birders such as Martin Cook, there's a strong desire to highlight these. This new edition of The Birds of Moray & Nairn brings right up to date the status of birds across the county and summarises 30 years of new information since the first edition came out in 1992.

At nearly 400 pages this is a substantial read. The species accounts, most illustrated with a single locally taken image, offer up enough detail for the reader to get a good understanding of the species' history and status in the area. Numerous tables and graphs are used to illustrate data but these are presented in an uncomplicated fashion that doesn't detract from the readability.

Cook has avoided over-emotive language and provided a balanced, well-crafted update to all 312 species recorded in Moray and Nairn, recognising the nuances behind many of the changes in status.

The final 40 pages, helpfully colour-coded, offer a whistle-stop guide to the main birding sites in the area with helpful maps, directions and brief comments on the main species you may encounter.

There's no doubt that this latest edition will find its way on to many a Scottish birder's bookshelf, but I'd recommend it to any visiting birder who has an interest in or wants to better understand the birdlife of the area.