Site of the Week
FatBirder http://www.fatbirder.com
If it’s ornithological information you’re after, head for the Fat Birder. It’s not a place to see pictures of oversized avifauna, or a even place to find out about ordinary-sized birds - it’s more like an expansive links section, a place to find out where to find out about birds. This is bird information central.
Based in the UK, it brings together not only the best bird-related sites in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but also sites from all over the world - within a few clicks you can be twitching just about anywhere you like. In the UK Birding section you’ll find a clickable map of the country, leading to clickable counties, and on to a vast reviewed list of relevant birding sites for whichever area you’ve chosen. Each section, whether it’s Suffolk or Switzerland, has a well-written introduction, laying out general information on the area in question, and the birds to be found there. Meanwhile, the general links section will help you to set a course for sites on subjects ranging from bird identification to conservation, and there’s a section of links divided up by species, so you can head for sites on a particular favourite.
Though the site seems to be perpetually ‘under construction’, the parts of the site which are up and running, which is most of them, are brilliantly done. Those which aren’t finished invite you, if you’re knowledgeable about an area’s birdlife, to contribute. All in all, a site that keen birdwatchers shouldn’t miss - even if it does have a bit of a weird name.
Richard Northover
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