The hefty package that dropped through the letterbox the other day held great promise, as I was expecting my review copy of the Norfolk Bird & Mammal Report for 2009. The nation's premier birding county is a veritable mecca for birders from across the country, so big things are always expected of the report.
Published by the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society (N&NNS), the report certainly delivers and is a comprehensive summary of the year, with plenty of background information to while away many an evening. The individual articles make good reading, pitched at various levels for the widely differing readership. There is a real focus on 'forms' as well, with articles looking at the occurrence of 'Greenland' Common Redpoll, Icelandic Redwing and eastern Lesser Whitethroat, although the lack of promised sketches with the latter was unfortunate. Adding to this are documentation of the first modern breeding records of Red Kite — and a summary of the last historical record — and a summary of the origins of Great Yarmouth's Mediterranean Gulls.
It's easy to just focus on the birds, but the mammal report is also a cracking read. It is as complete as any I've seen, and includes maps and details accounts of most species. The account of the county's second record of Sowerby's Beaked Whale is an exciting read, but perhaps the less said about the photo of the straight-sided penis of a Whiskered Bat the better.
Read on...
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