My favourite books

Chaimberlains Guide to Birding Gauteng (E Marais & Faansie Peacock)

This book, published in 2008, is a must for birders in or regular visitors to the greater Gauteng area. In the book (384 pages) more than 100 birding sites in the greater Gauteng area are discussed with tons of details about possible birds to be seen, habitats, directions, contact details etc. Also included are easy to follow maps and really nice photographs. I know both authors personally and this book is the result of many hours in the field collecting the information needed to write this guide. So if in the past you had to phone and email your birding pals to find the best route to some of the best birding sites in Gauteng - no need to do so anymore - just buy this book. There is also a website linked to the book: http://www.gautengbirding.co.za/

Roberts Birds of Southern Africa VII (PAR Hockey, WRJ Dean & PG Ryan)

The bible of birding for years. Roberts VII is a total "upgrade" from previous versions. It is now a birding reference work and not a field guide. Detailed descriptions of each species will most probably answer all your birding related questions that you might have.

Newman's Birds of Southern Africa (Kenneth Newman)

This is an old favorite of many birders. Kenneth Newman has through his books introduced a lot of birders to this fantastic hobby. The biggest asset of this book is the quality of the sketches.

The Larger Illustrated Guide to Birds of Southern Africa (Ian Sinclair & Phil Hockey)

This is the newest version of this series and was published in 2005. It contains all the newest species splits and new names. A wonderful book and most probably the most up-to-date field guide.

Roberts Bird Guide - (Guy Upfold & Hugh Chittenden)

The field guide version of the Roberts VII handbook. The distribution maps are fantastic and the text perfect. Just a shame that some of the sketches are not that great. But even so a must for all birders.

Pipits of Southern Africa (Faansie Peacock)

I cannot describe the purpose of this book better than the author himself - "The main objective of this book is to present an up-to-date identification manual to distinguish between the sixteen defferent specie of pipits that occur in Southern Africa. Essientially this book is a coalition between personal field experience and field notes, comments by other observers and a review and critical analysis of all available reference material pertaining to southern African pipits". A wonderful book with tons of information about this mysterious group of birds!! For more information visit http://www.pipits.co.za/.

Raptor Identification guide for Southern Africa (Ulrich Oberprieler and Burger Cillië)

Raptors can be extremely difficult to identify. This book will guide you through all the pitfalls in identifying this group of birds. You will find the general description of the different groups especially helpful. The book also contains beautiful photographs which greatly augment the text about each species. Also available in Afrikaans.

The Bird Guide of Southern Africa (Ulrich Oberprieler & Burger Cillie)

I must admit I am not a great fan of photographic field guides. But even so this must be the best of those available. Really great photos and tons of information. Please note that seabirds and the really rare and vagrant species are not included.

A guide to the Nest and Eggs of Southern African Birds (Warwick Tarbotan)

Another raptor guide not only covering the raptors of Southern Africa but also the rest of Africa and its Islands. The text is very well written and the images and sketches are great. As an added bonus you will also learn about the birds of prey in the rest of Africa.

Ornithology for Africa(Gordon Lindsay Maclean)

Although this book was written as a text book for Ornithology students, it is not too technical and the chapters on Food and Feeding, Migration and Navigation, Bird behaviour and Breeding biology are extremely interesting and will provide you with a fresh insight into the wonderful and varied world of birds.

Birds the inside story (Rael and Helene Loon)

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It covers a range of topics about birds and their behaviour with tons of interesting facts. It is written in an easy style with tons of photos.


Southern African Birdfinder (Callan Cohen, Claire Spottiswood and Jonathan Rossouw)

On the cover the following is printed - "Where to find 1400 bird species in southern Africa and Madagascar". So if you want to know where you can find that rare bird - this is the book you need!