SEABIRD POPULATIONS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND: RESULTS OF THE SEABIRD 2000 CENSUS (1998-2002). By P. Ian Mitchell, Stephen F. Newton, Norman Ratcliffe and Timothy E. Dunn. Database development and analysis by Andrew Cottam.

2004 1st edition. 4to (192 x 260mm). Pp511. Colour photographs, b/w illustrations, maps, tables, graphs, extensive reference list. Dark blue boards, spine titled in gilt.

"Each year Britain and Ireland play host to over eight million breeding seabirds. Supported by our rich marine and terrestrial environments, 25 species colonise a plethora of habitats. From teeming cliffs packed with auks, Kittiwakes and Fulmars, to offshore islands where petrels nest hidden from view; from beaches bustling with terns, to inner city sanctuaries of roof-nesting gulls - you are seldom far from a seabird colony. ...This book summarises the findings of Seabird 2000, a major initiative to census all breeding seabirds in Britain and Ireland. It draws on the work of over 1000 surveyors who counted seabirds at coastal and inland colonies. The results are compared with two earlier breeding seabird censuses, allowing analyses of population trends over 30 years. For each species, a specialist author gives a detailed account, illustrated with maps and tables, of spatial distribution, population trends and causes of change. This is a readable and comprehensive account of the most exhaustive and detailed survey of breeding seabird populations in Britain and Ireland ever conducted. It is an essential reference resource for birdwatchers, professional ornithologists and anyone involved in the conservation of the marine environment."