Nightjars of the World

There was a parcel waiting for me when I returned home this afternoon and I was pleased to see it was a book. I’ve been waiting to see this for three years…

Only a month after I got back from a trip to Belize in 2007 I was approached by Nigel Cleere, British birder, author and acknowledged world expert on nightjars. Nigel asked if he could use my photos of Northern Potoo, taken at duPlooy’s Jungle Lodge, for a new book he was writing. Yes, I said, sounds great!

Finally, here it is: the snappily-titled Nightjars, Potoos, Frogmouths, Oilbird, and Owlet-nightjars of the World

At first glance, ‘Nightjars of the World’ is an amazing collection of photos. Digging a little deeper, coupled with the concise text and maps, it must be the ultimate reference to nightjars. It’s got a smart, modern look and feel and the author’s expertise really shines through.

Turning to Northern Potoo, I was somewhat taken aback to see my two photos both used as full pages! They’re not as good as many of the others in the book but hey, they’re not that bad either and you don’t get photos published in books every day, so overall I’m absolutely delighted with the results. What’s even more satisfying, the ethical publishers, WildGuides, will donate any eventual profits from this book to Birdlife International. So it’s a win – win!

I had the good fortune to bump into Rick Taylor at the weekend and he showed me another book that came out this week – his new photographic guide to Birds of SE Arizona. I have a bunch of photos in that one so I’ll let you know, when I get my copy, how that one turned out