Can anyone recommend a well written and easily searchable book containing pictures and information on all the bird in the UK?

I used to have a very old book with drawings of all birds and it was very useful. That is long lost now though and there are so many books like this on the market I'm not sure which one to go for. Some personal experiences with examples of this type of book would be greatly appreciated!

The one I have and use is the Kingfisher Guide to Birds of Britain and Northern Ireland. It's about 12 years old now, but still seems quite adequate. Nicely illustrated, good distribution maps.

Kingfisher

That book is on amazon for only £8 so thanks for the tip, and the age doesn't worry me as long as it's a new book and not second hand. Any have any other suggestions before I buy it?

The Collins Nature Guides series is also worth a look, especially if you're after a pocket-size reference book. They cover many aspects of the countryside and wildlife and have 2 on birds of Britain and Europe (Birds of Britain & Europe and Garden Birds of Britain and Europe).

Thanks for the tips, I think I'm going to go for the "Birds of Britain and Europe with North Africa and the Middle East" as it is pocket size which will be useful when I'm out and about, but the Kingfisher book seems to have better reviews on the internet with regards to distribution maps so I may just buy both!

I have about six different field guides of birds of North America! Sometimes one guide has a better illustration for a particular bird, but the maps are better in another one. One might be pocket size, but the other is better because it allows you to put in field notes.

Kingfisher