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Norfolk is a birder's paradise. During the writing of The Birds of Norfolk in the late 1990s, it was very apparent that little detailed information was available on the distribution and, in particular, abundance of many of Norfolk's commoner birds. While The Norfolk Bird Atlas by Geoffrey Kelly, published in 1986, had provided data at a tetrad level on the breeding birds of the county, the only wintering survey was that undertaken for the 1981-84 atlas of Britain and Ireland, and that had been based on 10-km squares. By the end of 1999, a team of local organisers and an enthusiastic band of observers had started fieldwork on a new county tetrad atlas, which would survey not only the breeding and wintering birds of Norfolk, but also attempt to assess the abundance of each species. By the end of the summer of 2007, well over 300 observers had contributed, and every tetrad in the county had been visited in both summer and winter.
The results of this undertaking are presented in this book, which brings together the distribution and abundance of all the species recorded during the survey, as well as highlighting the changes since previous atlases.
There is a double page spread for each bird, covering over 270 species found in Norfolk, and shows summer, winter, and change maps. Superbly illustrated by local artists and photographers.
Forward by Andy Clements, Director of BTO
CHAPTER 1
The Norfolk Bird Atlas Project
A New Atlas of the Birds of Norfolk;
Planning and Organisation
Collecting and Collating the Field Data
The Nature of the NBA Data
Using the Database to Map Norfolk's Birds
Recommendations for Future Surveys
CHAPTER 2
The Summer and Winter Distributions of Norfolk's Bird's, 1999-2007
Taxonomic Listing
Interpreting the Tables
Interpreting the Maps
Main Species Texts
CHAPTER 3
Additional Species Recorded
Additional Species on the Norfolk List
Escapes and Non-Established Introductions
CHAPTER 4
The Habitats of Norfolk by P W Lambley
CHAPTER 5
An Overview of Norfolk's Birds by John H Marchant
Norfolk's Avifauna During 1999-2007
Changes in Range Since Previous Atlases
Implications of NBA Results for Bird Conservation
Acknowledgements
References
Gazetteer
Glossary of Abbreviations
Index of Species Names
This is the first major county publication by BTO Books, and the professional expertise in writing, design and production shines through in what is a superb volume. [...] The maps are perhaps the most ambitious seen in any UK county atlas to date.[...] The BTO is to be congratulated on their initiative; I hope we will see similar volumes for other counties in the future.
- John Clark, Birding World 24(12), January 2012
"This total picture is of immense significance in documenting an area's importance for birds and measuring its relative value alongside similar, or geographically broader areas. Our knowledge and information allows conservation priorities to be understood, targets to be set, and specific conservation management to be implemented. Atlas data are a key element for reporting on the broader health of our wildlife, and on how well we are doing in protecting it."
- Andy Clements, BTO Director
"There is a wealth of information to be absorbed from the accounts and maps [...] All of this fascinating information is presented in a well-designed package [...] it may be that the relevance of mapped atlases like Norfolk's new tome will overtake that of conventional county avifaunas."
- Dominic Mitchell, Birdwatch Magazine - August 2011
Read the full review by Dominic Mitchell on the NHBS blog
