Basics: 1977, softcover, 168 pages, 32 b&w photos and 1 color plate, 117 species, no range maps

Despite this book’s age, it is an excellent reference today. It is most useful, and geared towards, the active ringer or bander. This is a very detailed guide with a strong focus on measurements and on descriptions of age classes. The 117 waders (aka, shorebirds) that breed in the Holarctic (i.e., Alaska, Canada, and northern Europe and Asia) are covered by three key topics: Identification, Ageing, and Biometrics.

This information is quite detailed and comes from many years of research by many sources. It is incredibly useful for identifying the shorebirds; however, it often requires that you have an excellent view of and an attentive eye for the bird in question. Holding the bird in hand would be ideal, but quite unrealistic for most birders. The book is still very useful for field identification (i.e., with a scope).

To be clear, this book is not for someone trying to learn the shorebirds. This is geared and useful for people who’ve spent a fair amount of field time observing these birds. Wonderful illustrations are shown of individual feather detail for the median coverts, tertials, or tail feathers for most of the birds.

The black-and-white photos of 29 species are supplied for demonstrating specific identification characteristics mentioned in the text. These are excellent photos that clearly show the distinct patterning critical for identification.

Just as an extra note, a great color photo of a Spoon-billed Sandpiper is found at the beginning of the book. There is also a great 2-page table (page 81-82) that offers columns of details to help identify seven similar Calidris species. This would be a good section to copy and keep hand in your field guide.

One other note about this book is its slant towards the British names. Examples include Grey vs. Red Phalarope; Grey vs. Black-bellied Plover; and, single names such as Knot or Curlew.

If you are intrigued by shorebirds and willingly take on the challenge and frustration of this group, then you must have this book.

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) A Field Guide to the Waders of Britain and Europe with North Africa and the Middle East by Colston/Burton
2) North Atlantic Shorebirds by Chandler
3) The Shorebird Guide by O’Brien/Crossley/Carlson
4) Shorebirds: An Identification Guide by Hayman/Marchant/Prater
5) Shorebirds of North America by Paulson
6) Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia by Message/Taylor
7) Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest by Paulson
8) Geographical Variation in Waders by Engelmoer/Roselaar ( )