Birds and Berries: A Study of an Ecological Interaction

Poyser Monographs

by Barbara Snow, David W. Snow

"...fascinating reading, of great interest to birdwatchers, botanists and gardeners. If the relationships between fruit-eating birds and plants interests you, I recommend this book." --Nick Dymond, Shetland Times Illustrated by John Busby.

268 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1988

Reviews

[Barry Embling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is field ecology at its best, and a subject that's perhaps rather obscure to most! I admire this husband and wife partnership of investigative observation, simply recording all the possible details of birds feeding on berries around their local area. Not a dry read at all, they've turned a comprehensive dataset into an accessible and enjoyable book that is either a cover to cover read or can be dipped into. The amount of hours invested staking out individual berry-covered bushes is astounding. It's a wonderful example of science meets birdwatching, and shows the way that as observers of nature, we should be recording what we see in our notebooks. After reading this book, you'll be far more curious and knowledgeable about birds and their ecology and at the very least know what some of them eat, and what to plant in your garden. For the uninitiated, this book is a superb introduction into field ecology and an insight into the hardwork of typically quirky and dedicated English naturalists.