The Birds of County Cork

This book is a history of the birds of County Cork from the earliest times to the present. It covers all aspects of the ecology of all species (427 to end of 2018) known to have occurred in the county, especially concentrating on population change, distribution, and migration. There has been no tradition in Ireland for the publication of county avifaunas, as there has been in the UK for over 200 years, and while this is not the first such book for Ireland, it treats each species in a depth that has not been done before. This sets in apart as unique in an Irish context. We believe this book is timely in the sense that bird populations are undergoing change at a rate never experienced previously. On the one hand we are seeing major conservation efforts at restoring 'lost' species, such as the two eagle species and the Red Kite, while at the same time we are seeing unprecedented declines in many bird populations due largely to climate warming, but also the arrival of new breeding species for the same reason. The book is laid out in six chapters which accounts for 13%; the rest being made up of a Systematic List of the 427 species. The chapters include a history of ornithology in Cork and an account of the ornithologists of the past. There are also several appendices which contain important data, including a list (with grid references) of place names which will enable the reader to locate any place mentioned in the text. There are also maps which will show geology and land use, in addition to showing the main sites in the county, coastal and inland. It will be illustrated by graphs, tables, photographs (by Richard Mills) and drawings (by Russ Heselden). We believe this book will be a useful reference for students of ornithology, conservation agencies, planners, environmental consultants, farmers, industrialists, and the growing band of citizen scientists at a time of considerable change.