Written by Richard Arnold, Director of Ecology at Thomson Ecology, Ian Woodward a professional ornithologist, and Neil Smith, Head of GIS at Thomson Ecology, the London Bird Atlas is an authoritative and detailed account of the regularly occurring birds of London. It provides the most up-to-date analyses of the changes to London’s birds based on a comprehensive survey run in conjunction with the British Trust for Ornithology’s National Bird Atlas project.
Richard Arnold says, “During field work for the London Bird Atlas almost two hundred species of birds were recorded in the London area. For a largely urban area, this is still an impressive tally despite the sad decline of some once common species, like the tree sparrow. The 60 families of birds recorded in the London area represent just over a quarter of the total number of bird families in the world; a surprising richness in avian diversity.”
The London Bird Atlas brings together into a single volume, the analysis of almost a million bird records and research to tell you which birds are doing well, which ones have declined or held steady, and what the changes have been in relation to previous distribution surveys. It is also the first London bird atlas to include maps of bird abundance and to show the distribution of wintering birds. It includes some information on where to watch birds and other wildlife in London. It will be an essential source of reference for London’s birders and others interested in urban wildlife.
The area covered by the London Bird Atlas is the land within a 20-mile radius of St Paul’s Cathedral. This includes the whole of Greater London and parts of Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey and Buckinghamshire.
On average, around 200 species of birds are recorded each year, with around 370 species recorded in total, in a varied and rich matrix of habitats from grassland and woodland to wetland sites and the Thames estuary. The London area has some of the world’s premier urban nature reserves which provide outstanding opportunities for bird study and photography, close to the homes of millions of people.
