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Vagrancy in Birds
An exploration of the causes and patterns of avian vagrancy
Avian vagrancy―the appearance of birds outside of their expected habitat―is a phenomenon that has fascinated natural historians for centuries, from Victorian collectors willing to spend fortunes on a rare specimen to today’s bird-chasing “twitchers.” Yet despite the obsessions of countless ornithologists, what do we actually know about the enigma of vagrancy? In Vagrancy in Birds , Alexander Lees and James Gilroy explore the causes, patterns, and processes behind the occurrences of these unique birds.
Lees and Gilroy draw on recent research to answer fundamental What causes avian vagrancy? Why do some places attract so many vagrant birds? Why are some species more predisposed to long-range vagrancy than others? The authors present readers with everything known about the subject, and bring together different lines of evidence to make the case for vagrancy as a biological phenomenon with important implications for avian ecology and evolution.
Filled with a wealth of photographs, Vagrancy in Birds will fascinate avian enthusiasts everywhere.
Avian vagrancy―the appearance of birds outside of their expected habitat―is a phenomenon that has fascinated natural historians for centuries, from Victorian collectors willing to spend fortunes on a rare specimen to today’s bird-chasing “twitchers.” Yet despite the obsessions of countless ornithologists, what do we actually know about the enigma of vagrancy? In Vagrancy in Birds , Alexander Lees and James Gilroy explore the causes, patterns, and processes behind the occurrences of these unique birds.
Lees and Gilroy draw on recent research to answer fundamental What causes avian vagrancy? Why do some places attract so many vagrant birds? Why are some species more predisposed to long-range vagrancy than others? The authors present readers with everything known about the subject, and bring together different lines of evidence to make the case for vagrancy as a biological phenomenon with important implications for avian ecology and evolution.
Filled with a wealth of photographs, Vagrancy in Birds will fascinate avian enthusiasts everywhere.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 31, 2021
My eldest daughter kindly bought me Vagrancy In Birds as a Christmas present. She is abroad over the festive period, so we exchanged and opened gifts at the weekend. As I’ve opened it I’ve read it, so Santa may disapprove but I can assure you it’s not a free review copy.
Unsurprisingly perhaps the book opens with an explanations of how birds navigate. There are then several short chapters covering causes of avian vagrancy, namely compass errors, wind drift, overshooting, extreme weather, irruption, exploratory dispersal and human driven examples. After a brief discussion on the impacts of vagrant birds on ecosystems the meet of the book is given over to discussion of vagrancy (or lack of it) among all the bird families of the world. Finally there is a brief consideration of vagrancy in era of global change and a peer into the possible future.
As a birder with no scientific background I consider the chapters on migration and forms of vagrancy to be excellent. Although some of the topics are by their nature abstract and complex the narrative is engaging and I learned a lot without it ever feeling like a drag. It was also refreshing that the authors were transparent about what remains uncertain and the potential impacts of coverage and other bias.
The chapters on the different bird families are also generally interesting. They are probably more accessible in places to people who have done a lot of world birding, but in general the substantial amount of research undertaken makes for a very informative read. Rather than digested in one stint these accounts could be dipped into when relevant to the reader’s own birding and trips.
If I was to make a couple of suggestions for improvement one would be that it felt like the photos had been sourced excessively from friends and close acquaintances, and the overall aesthetic might have been improved by a wider pool of photographers. Also the approach of listing all bird families including those that aren’t known to have exhibited vagrancy isn’t the best use of space and paper, a paragraph listing the ‘nil returns’ might have been sufficient.
Overall if you have any interest in vagrant birds this book is certainly recommended. As would be expected from two of the Punkbirders it is both rigorously researched and accessible to birders. If you get cash for Christmas it might enhance your birding experience more than yet another field guide.
Unsurprisingly perhaps the book opens with an explanations of how birds navigate. There are then several short chapters covering causes of avian vagrancy, namely compass errors, wind drift, overshooting, extreme weather, irruption, exploratory dispersal and human driven examples. After a brief discussion on the impacts of vagrant birds on ecosystems the meet of the book is given over to discussion of vagrancy (or lack of it) among all the bird families of the world. Finally there is a brief consideration of vagrancy in era of global change and a peer into the possible future.
As a birder with no scientific background I consider the chapters on migration and forms of vagrancy to be excellent. Although some of the topics are by their nature abstract and complex the narrative is engaging and I learned a lot without it ever feeling like a drag. It was also refreshing that the authors were transparent about what remains uncertain and the potential impacts of coverage and other bias.
The chapters on the different bird families are also generally interesting. They are probably more accessible in places to people who have done a lot of world birding, but in general the substantial amount of research undertaken makes for a very informative read. Rather than digested in one stint these accounts could be dipped into when relevant to the reader’s own birding and trips.
If I was to make a couple of suggestions for improvement one would be that it felt like the photos had been sourced excessively from friends and close acquaintances, and the overall aesthetic might have been improved by a wider pool of photographers. Also the approach of listing all bird families including those that aren’t known to have exhibited vagrancy isn’t the best use of space and paper, a paragraph listing the ‘nil returns’ might have been sufficient.
Overall if you have any interest in vagrant birds this book is certainly recommended. As would be expected from two of the Punkbirders it is both rigorously researched and accessible to birders. If you get cash for Christmas it might enhance your birding experience more than yet another field guide.
May 9, 2024
kind of hard to rate this, but does what its supposed to perfectly i guess
November 6, 2022
Overall a good book with much information.
Coverage of navigation and the various types and possible reasons for vagrancy was very beneficial in understanding out of range bird sightings.
For me it was very difficult to read the first 70 pages with very small font and wide single column layout. Moving into the family accounts they switched to a two column layout (although same very small type) which is much easier to read.
One thing I very much appreciated was the type being set on a light gray background which is much easier on the eyes.
Coverage of navigation and the various types and possible reasons for vagrancy was very beneficial in understanding out of range bird sightings.
For me it was very difficult to read the first 70 pages with very small font and wide single column layout. Moving into the family accounts they switched to a two column layout (although same very small type) which is much easier to read.
One thing I very much appreciated was the type being set on a light gray background which is much easier on the eyes.
May 17, 2022
excellent; lots of info.
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December 29, 2024This book is taking me far too long to read. I've gotten through the main portions and am working my way slowly through the family accounts. The problem with this book is the physical readability. Whoever thought combining tiny lettering with glossy paper in a perpetual sidebar blue page color should never be allowed to make a book again. Additionally, the book would be improved by having more maps and better labeled maps. Other than these egregious faults, the book was well written and thoroughly researched, with fascinating content. It's highly specialized and I don't have enough expertise to judge the factual content, but it was all presented in a coherent manner, using easy to understand language - your mileage may vary if you don't read about avian behavior often.
No star rating, because how do you separate out the production from the writing?
No star rating, because how do you separate out the production from the writing?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews