Dale Goble writes:
>
> It appears that I am going to have to bite the proverbial bullet and buy
> a British [I almost typed *English* but then remembered Stuart] bird guide.
>
> Christopher Perrins, New Generation Guide: Birds of Britain and Europe
>
> Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe
>
> Paul Ehrlich et al., The Birdwatcher's Handbook: A Guide to the Natural
> History of the Birds of Britain and Europe
>
>
> From reading the descriptions, the choice appears to be between Perrins
> and Peterson for a field guide.

I personaly like very much the Perrins, more so than the Peterson.
The raptors are simply awful in the Peterson and the usual drawback of having
the range maps at the end of the book is a drawback. It is not obvious it
will be a drwaback for you though, if you just use it as a reference book.
A nicefeature of the Peterson (at least the French translation) is that the
names are also given in Spanich, Italian, Swedish, German and, I think, Dutch,
whenever it is appropriate (i.e. when the bird appears in the particular
country).

Moreover, there is a general text in the beginning on birds biology,
ecology, and all the stuff, though you probably would not learn much you
don't already know.

I don't know the Ehrlich stuff...

I guess Stuart could help here too, he maybe has a different opinion on
the mertis of these guides.

Hope this helps

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