Best Birdwatching Sites: Norfolk
By Neil Glenn
"The site guide of the future? I hope so..."
WHAT, another Norfolk site guide? Surely there’s nothing new to add by having yet another book on the subject. Well, that’s what I thought until I actually studied this new book. I think it’s brilliant. Both the author and the publishers need a big pat on the back for taking an old format (site-by-site accounts) and putting so much thought into exactly what information is wanted by birdwatchers and how it should be presented. The end product is so clever that it makes you wonder why site guides haven’t always been done this way. Here are just a few of the ideas that I particularly like:
• The maps are excellent, one showing exactly what is at each site and another to show where it is in relation to nearby roads etc. Every footpath, reedbed, marsh, pool, wood, high hedge, hide, vantage point, etc., is shown clearly for every site. This is a vast improvement on some other site guides.
• At the beginning of each site account are a few sentences putting the site into context of just how good it is and what the main attractions are. Statements like ‘The best place in Norfolk to see Mediterranean Gull’ and ‘a site for the all-round naturalist’ tell the reader straight away whether each site is likely to be of interest to them.
• These sentences are immediately followed by a list of ‘target birds’ for each site in big, bold text that stands out clearly. What’s more, next to each ‘target species’ is a percentage telling you how likely you are to find that bird at that site at the given time of year. Oh wow. You don’t just get to know where Snow Buntings occur, you also learn that you have a 30% chance at Snettisham but they’re only occasional at Hunstanton. Some will argue over the actual figures Neil has given but this is a brilliant way of indicating which are the best sites for each bird.
• Each site also has lists of other species likely to be found there at different times of year, but to make these more manageable he’s used phrases like ‘common waders’ and ‘common woodland birds’ to cover whole groups of species, each defined at the back of the book.
• The sites are arranged alphabetically and each one usually occupies a double-page spread. These might seem trivial points but they make it so easy to find any site – another vast improvement on earlier models. This format means that adjacent sites are no longer together, but that doesn’t matter because each description finishes with a panel listing nearby sites.
• An intelligent use of coloured panels and clear paragraphs makes it really easy to find out when to go, who to contact, whether it’s free, whether there’s wheelchair access, etc.
In short, the whole package is so well thought out that it makes this guide easier to use than any other site guide I’ve ever come across.
It would be a real shame if this superb format was let down by inadequate content but there’s no sign of that here. Neil Glenn might roost (and breed?) in Nottinghamshire, but he obviously migrates to Norfolk on a regular basis and is ideally suited to write a guide for other visitors. His style is light, enthusiastic and clear, telling you what is useful without filling it with excessive detail. The work is further enhanced by a lovely colour painting on the cover by Jan Wilczur and lots of line drawings by Alan Harris. If I could request any further improvements I’d suggest it would be even better if the county map, showing all the sites, could be more easily accessible (eg on the inside cover) and I’d also prefer Alan Harris’s artwork without the ‘soft-focus’ effect on some plates ( I don’t know whether this is deliberate or due to imperfect reproduction).
If you want to find out lots more about some of the sites in this book you might still need Peter Clarke’s Where To Watch.... version which, for example, has 11 closely typed pages devoted to Cley. However, you might not want to read through 11 dense pages to decide whether this is a site that interests you. Instead you might prefer a book that is easy to use, points you quickly to the places that are most relevant to you and provides wonderfully clear instructions for when you get there. If so, then this book is just about perfect. The site guide of the future? I hope so.
Dave Gosney (BirdGuides website review of the 1st edition)
...................................................
WHAT, another Norfolk site guide? Surely there’s nothing new to add by having yet another book on the subject. Well, that’s what I thought until I actually studied this new book. I think it’s brilliant. Both the author and the publishers need a big pat on the back for taking an old format (site-by-site accounts) and putting so much thought into exactly what information is wanted by birdwatchers and how it should be presented. The end product is so clever that it makes you wonder why site guides haven’t always been done this way. Here are just a few of the ideas that I particularly like:
• The maps are excellent, one showing exactly what is at each site and another to show where it is in relation to nearby roads etc. Every footpath, reedbed, marsh, pool, wood, high hedge, hide, vantage point, etc., is shown clearly for every site. This is a vast improvement on some other site guides.
• At the beginning of each site account are a few sentences putting the site into context of just how good it is and what the main attractions are. Statements like ‘The best place in Norfolk to see Mediterranean Gull’ and ‘a site for the all-round naturalist’ tell the reader straight away whether each site is likely to be of interest to them.
• These sentences are immediately followed by a list of ‘target birds’ for each site in big, bold text that stands out clearly. What’s more, next to each ‘target species’ is a percentage telling you how likely you are to find that bird at that site at the given time of year. Oh wow. You don’t just get to know where Snow Buntings occur, you also learn that you have a 30% chance at Snettisham but they’re only occasional at Hunstanton. Some will argue over the actual figures Neil has given but this is a brilliant way of indicating which are the best sites for each bird.
• Each site also has lists of other species likely to be found there at different times of year, but to make these more manageable he’s used phrases like ‘common waders’ and ‘common woodland birds’ to cover whole groups of species, each defined at the back of the book.
• The sites are arranged alphabetically and each one usually occupies a double-page spread. These might seem trivial points but they make it so easy to find any site – another vast improvement on earlier models. This format means that adjacent sites are no longer together, but that doesn’t matter because each description finishes with a panel listing nearby sites.
• An intelligent use of coloured panels and clear paragraphs makes it really easy to find out when to go, who to contact, whether it’s free, whether there’s wheelchair access, etc.
In short, the whole package is so well thought out that it makes this guide easier to use than any other site guide I’ve ever come across.
It would be a real shame if this superb format was let down by inadequate content but there’s no sign of that here. Neil Glenn might roost (and breed?) in Nottinghamshire, but he obviously migrates to Norfolk on a regular basis and is ideally suited to write a guide for other visitors. His style is light, enthusiastic and clear, telling you what is useful without filling it with excessive detail. The work is further enhanced by a lovely colour painting on the cover by Jan Wilczur and lots of line drawings by Alan Harris. If I could request any further improvements I’d suggest it would be even better if the county map, showing all the sites, could be more easily accessible (eg on the inside cover) and I’d also prefer Alan Harris’s artwork without the ‘soft-focus’ effect on some plates ( I don’t know whether this is deliberate or due to imperfect reproduction).
If you want to find out lots more about some of the sites in this book you might still need Peter Clarke’s Where To Watch.... version which, for example, has 11 closely typed pages devoted to Cley. However, you might not want to read through 11 dense pages to decide whether this is a site that interests you. Instead you might prefer a book that is easy to use, points you quickly to the places that are most relevant to you and provides wonderfully clear instructions for when you get there. If so, then this book is just about perfect. The site guide of the future? I hope so.
Dave Gosney (BirdGuides website review of the 1st edition)
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"It provides excellent and accurate guides to a large range of sites."
I HAVE just returned from a birdwatching holiday in Norfolk during which I used Neil Glenn's book. It is superb. It provides excellent and accurate guides to a large range of sites. It is particularly good at forecasting the likelihood of which birds will turn up during each month of the year at each site. It is not only informative but is written in a light, eminently readable style which communicates the author's enthusiasm in such a way that it is fun to read. Amazon review by Martin Ceresa (Romsey, Hampshire)
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....."the graphics are very helpful..."
THIS IS AN outstandingly well-researched book. Everyone of the sites was visited by the author, often several times. The strength of each site as a place to see interesting birds is discussed in detail. The style of the writing is also excellent and the graphics very helpful - not just the usual glossy PR stuff.
Amazon review by C. Hilken "charlie" (England)
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I HAVE just returned from a birdwatching holiday in Norfolk during which I used Neil Glenn's book. It is superb. It provides excellent and accurate guides to a large range of sites. It is particularly good at forecasting the likelihood of which birds will turn up during each month of the year at each site. It is not only informative but is written in a light, eminently readable style which communicates the author's enthusiasm in such a way that it is fun to read. Amazon review by Martin Ceresa (Romsey, Hampshire)
................................................................................
....."the graphics are very helpful..."
THIS IS AN outstandingly well-researched book. Everyone of the sites was visited by the author, often several times. The strength of each site as a place to see interesting birds is discussed in detail. The style of the writing is also excellent and the graphics very helpful - not just the usual glossy PR stuff.
Amazon review by C. Hilken "charlie" (England)
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Do I recommend this book? You betcha!
I HAVE asked this question before… Do we need another site guide for UK birders' favourite county – Norfolk? Before I saw this book I would have given a resounding no! I would have advised keeping your hand firmly in your pocket and at £15 would have thought this expensive for a Norfolk-only guide, when judged alongside the other East Anglia guides available. Now I have seen it I am totally won over and would have to tell any regular Norfolk birder or visitor to stump up. This is not just a good guide it is a very different guide and the new dimensions are well worth spending your hard-earned on.
Before extolling its virtues, what are its shortcomings? Well, I have already mentioned price. Helm offer the whole of East Anglia for the same price and the recent Shoebill publication offers Norfolk alone for £12.99p. Nevertheless, it is good value. Publishing has to take into account likely sales and small publishers take risks, which have to be covered. The yardstick has to be value not cost and on that basis this is good value. Would I buy it if I had the other two guides? If I were a regular visitor or a resident I would definitely buy all three. As a disabled birder, this is definitely the book of choice. More of this later.
The only other beef I have is about the illustrations. The line drawings are excellent except that they mostly use a technique where shading has a sort of smudged look. I don`t think this is a printing glitch but a deliberate feature… and I don`t care for it at all. It adds nothing and, to my eye, makes the drawings look messy; as if the sketchbook had been left out on a damp day.
Back now to the positive features. I’ll start with a well-known hobbyhorse that I ride every time I write a review of a site guide – disability access. This book sets the standard and all other writers and publishers should follow it – there are no excuses now as the book does it and tells you how. In the acknowledgements is one line… Thirdly, Brian of Essex, for his comments on disabled access at some of the sites listed. Brian of Essex happens to be a friend of mine and he is an intrepid wheelchair birder; the ideal person to test out access for those with restricted mobility. The author not only includes notes on disability access for each site and uses an appropriate symbol for quick reference, he also has a couple of pages listing sites that are fully accessible and those that have some disability access. Well done Neil Glenn, well done Brian and well done Buckingham Press!
So, as the author asks himself right at the beginning of this book, Why this site guide? I unashamedly lift his answers in response. When I visit a bird site… …I want to know… …exactly what I am likely to see at the time of year… (and) …the likelihood of seeing the birds listed in the guide. He goes on to say how this is achieved in his guide. The fact that Merlins zip through Titchwell once a day in winter doesn`t mean you will see one, and this guide makes that obvious. In this way, the visiting birdwatcher will not let their hopes rise too high, but will know which birds are most likely to be encountered. What an excellent approach! He lists target birds for each site with percentage possibilities in brackets after each… it also lists other likely birds.
Other fresh approaches [as well as the disability access info] include public transport possibilities, the fact that it is set out alphabetically by site name rather than as a geographical round, the brevity that really highlights the important facts and so on. The text on each page actually walks you round the site. All the important info having already been put prominently, the main text is an option, not something you have to wade through to find what you are after. I also like the bar at the top of the page giving grid refs, vehicular access, etc. The layout is excellent and reminiscent of a web page rather than a book – and all the better for that.
Do I recommend this book? You betcha!
Bo Beolens (fatbirder website review of the 1st edition)
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