What they have said about the book!


A
BIRDWATCHING
GUIDE
TO
LESVOS
by Steve Dudley

Views and reviews from those who have read and used the book.


Magazine and web reviews - see below.

Amazon.co.uk reviews - 5* - read them here.


PERSONAL VIEWS FROM THOSE WHO HAVE USED IT!

Dear Steve,

It was such a pleasure to meet you yesterday in the forest - and to be able to tell you personally what an outstanding book you have written. We used it all the time during our short trip to Lesvos this week and were amazed at how accurate a book could be! The birds were where you said they would be and the descriptions of how to get to the various spots easy and clear to follow.

The promo blurb says it's the only book you need for Lesvos as you have included recommendations for tavernas as well - I didn't really think that could be so, but was proved wrong as we (and many others!) followed your suggestions and ate very well.

Thank you so much for the excellent resource you have produced - if only we could find similar for other locations!!
Very best wishes,

Pim & Stuart (New Zealand)


Hello Steve,

Having just returned from 2 weeks birding in Lesvos (staying at the Pela) we would like to add our thanks to you for the sterling effort put into producing your book. Although we had visited 3 years ago, using the Brooks book, yours added considerably to our knowledge of the island and introduced us to some new sites. As the feedback that you have already come across indicates, your hard work and commitment to this project has been very much appreciated by many birders this spring.

Best Regards,
Ian & Ruth M (UK).


"Love the new Lesvos book. Haven't been able to put it down since we picked up a copy at the NW Bird Festival at Martin Mere. I'm sure it will be pretty dog-eared by next May, which will be our 16th year birding on Lesvos" Frank W (Lancs)


"what a superb book" Chris H (UK)


"It is a great piece of work and is vastly superior to the previous one. Congratulations." Roger L (Kent)


"Have your book . . . very, very good – just what a birding guide should be." Mike S (UK)


" . . . the book is terriffic, it is laid out in a logical way and cross-references very well. Congratulations on producing an excellent product." James M (Scotland)


"You will be delighted to know that we picked up a copy of your book at Cley visitor centre in Norfolk last week - good to read (unlike a lot of birding books) giving a nice "sense of place" and also what looks like a range of excellent maps of the various areas with pointers to viewing sites . . . Just wanted to say how much we both have liked your book. As I said in the forum, it IS readable rather than a reference tome of site A, site B, Bird X, Bird Y, etc. . . . Thanks once again - and for the web-site!" Roy C (Hants/Wilts, UK)


"I just wanted to report that we enjoyed your book very much. It is pleasantly written and was a real help to us on the island in September. . . it's very complete and recommendable." Alex V (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)


"I was impressed by the breadth and depth of the general information you give about the island (there is even stuff there that I didn't know!). To us non-birding semi-residents it often seems that visiting birders are interested only in what they can see through their lenses, and oblivious to everything else around them. It's good to see that that is not necessarily so." Mike M (Lesvos semi-resident).


"May I first of all thank you very much for producing what I consider to be one of the best 'site' guides to a birding destination I have read. OK, so the first copy I bought did fall apart shortly after I bought it, but those excellent people at Subbutteo replaced it swiftly when I gave them a ring, with the reprinted version." Kevin E (UK)


THE MAGAZINE REVIEWS

In British Birds (113: 68-9 | Jan 2010), Alex Lees writes . .
- "Short of . . . taking the author with you in your rucksack, there seems little more that you could possibly need . . ."
- ". . . claims to 'set new standards' in the genre . . . seems to be borne out by a critical appraisal of its contents, and dictated by the author's evident infatuation with this biogeographically Turkish island."
- "The accounts are exceptionally detailed and user friendly" and the maps "are uncluttered and clear"
- "Dipping the 'flagship species' . . . should henceforth be the result of bad luck, fieldcraft or timing rather than poor 'gen'."
- "What separates this book from its peers is its dual function as both site guide and a standard travel guide . . . detailed information on where to eat and where to stay, as well as travel facts . . ."


Birdwatch magazine (Jan 2010) said . . .
"this new work provides a comprehensive update. . . To see Europe's only Kruper's Nuthatches, Cinereous Bunting and a whole lot more, it's a must."


In BTO News (Mar/Apr 2010), Simon Gillings said . . .
- "this is an essential purchase for anyone visiting this superb island"
- "a thorough-going site guide, annotated species list, checklists for key taxa for all-round naturalists, plus more generic travelling tips you would normally expect in travel guides"
Read more.


In Scottish Birds (29: 251 | Dec 2009), Doreen & James Main write . . .
- "This concise guide will, without doubt, be the definitive bible on Lesvos for the foreseeable future."
- "Steve Dudley has compiled a comprehensive guide to Lesvos."
- "The author has extensive knowledge of the island . . ."
- "According to the hoteliers and restauranteurs . . . this book has been keenly awaited. The inclusion of Greek [place and bird] names particularly pleased them."
- "The inclusion of Greek names proved very helpful . . . when an Osprey passed close by the locals were puzzled by our excitement. They too became excited when we showed them Osprey in Greek. Another time, a local man tried to tell us about a special bird near his monastery. He wrote it down and we were able to establish that it was a Nightingale."


The Fatbirder said . . .
"Its easy to read, easy to use and a pleasure to look at." Read more . .


On Surfbirds, Brian Small said . . .
- "Lesvos was in need of an up-dated guide, with new sites to visit and at other times of the year than Spring. Steve, who has travelled to Lesvos many times, was an ideal person to do this, and now we have his guide"
- "I love the island of Lesvos and cannot recommend it enough as a place to go birding . . . I enjoyed this book and it makes me look forward to the next time I am there." Read more . . .