Description

---

RSPB ID Spotlight Coastal Birds is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of 44 of our most widespread and familiar coastal birds by renowned artist Stephen Message.

Whether you are scanning cliff faces packed with auks or watching large seabirds dive underwater to find food, visiting a colony of coastal birds is an unforgettable experience. But can you tell a Razorbill from a Guillemot? Or accurately distinguish between a Fulmar and a Common Gull? The vast and varied coastline of the UK provides refuge for an enormous number of seabirds that visit our shores to breed or spend the winter months here.

The species are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification, while artworks are shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field. The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our coastal birds, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how the RSPB is working to support them. Advice on the best time of year to visit a seabird colony and practical tips on what we can all do to reduce the plastic waste that can end up in our seas are also included.

The ID Spotlight charts help wildlife enthusiasts identify and learn more about our most common species using accurate colour illustrations and informative, accessible text.

About the Author

---

Marianne Taylor is a birdwatcher, dragonfly-finder and mammal-seeker from Kent, England. She has written many books on wildlife including British Naturefinder, British Birds of Prey and Spotlight Robins for the RSPB and two previous nature-writing narratives, Dragonflight and Way of the Hare.

Stephen Message is one of the UK's foremost bird artists as well as an experienced birdwatcher. He studied graphic design, then specialised in natural history illustration at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and has worked as a freelance artist ever since.

Stephen has twice been runner up for the Bird Illustrator of the Year, and he was the Birdwatch Artist of the Year in 2017. Stephen painted the beautiful cover artworks for all four editions of the RSPB Handbook of British Birds. He has illustrated many books in his career, including Waders of Europe, Asia and North America, Bill Oddie's Birds of Britain and Ireland and the Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia.