Natural History

Unlike many field guides, Collins Scottish Birds does not cover birds which only visit occasionally, or which occur in such small numbers and are so difficult to identify that only experienced birdwatchers can spot them. Instead, it concentrates on more common species that the amateur birdwatcher is most likely to see, plus a few scarcer ones of particular interest. Species are grouped according to the habitat in which they are most likely to be seen, with a detailed introduction to all the different habitats. There are also details of key identification features and behavioural characteristics which will help you identify each bird with accuracy and ease. Each entry includes a full-colour illustration, common name and Latin and Gaelic name, the season in which the bird is likely to be spotted, and details on habitat, feeding habits, and voice. The book also includes up-to-date details about places of interest and the best sites to go for birdwatching, with maps and contact information to help you get there. Packed full of information, Collins Scottish Birds is the ideal guide for both visitors and residents of Scotland who wish to learn about the fascinating wealth of birds that can be found there.

George Clayton Anderson (1808-77) was only twenty-three when he set out from Newcastle in 1831 with his brother, Dick, and the professional artist William Train to explore the Western isles and remote St Kilda. The following year he journeyed to the Shetlands and in 1833 returned again to Skye and the Western Isles while on his way to the Faroes. Atkinson was a keen naturalist, founder member of the Natural History Society of Northumberland and Durham and Newcastle, and a friend of the engraver Thomas Beckwith. His travels brought him into contact with such giants of the day as William MacGillivray, Dr William Hooker and John Scoular. His keen interest in birds led him to become the first curator of the ornithological section of the Hancock Museum, an interest reflected in his descriptions of the bird-life of these islands. The large leather-bound journals chronicling their adventures, and largely unknown outside his family, were richly embellished with original watercolours and drawings of his tours, made by some of the finest local artists of the day.
While vividly resurrecting a living, breathing portrait of those whose lives added such a a colour to the landscape, his diary also reveals a community in the painful throes of transition and at a watershed between the ancient and the modern.

William MacGillivray was just 21, on the verge of a career as an outstanding naturalist and bird artist, when he left Aberdeen to spend a year at his childhood home at Northton in Harris. In that year he kept a detailed journal that provides a rare insight into the rural life of 19th century Scotland, especially of the Outer Isles. Running through the journal is his love of natural history. He wrote about the birds and plants he saw and made detailed descriptions of them.