WADERS OF EUROPE, ASIA AND NORTH AMERICA By Stephen Message and Don Taylor. Christopher Helm, A&C Black, London, 2005. 224 pages; 80 colour plates. ISBN 0-7136-5290-X. Paperback, £24.99. As a passionate shorebird enthusiast I always welcome a new book on waders, and I was not disappointed by this one. The geographical area of the title is somewhat optimistic since, in this case, `Asia' does not include the Indian subcontinent or Southeast Asia. Effectively, the area it covers is the Holarctic, but since vagrant waders from further south that have occurred in the Holarctic are included, it does cover the majority of the waders of the northern hemisphere. The back cover claims that it is a `guide to the 124 species of northern hemisphere waders', but this total does not include about a further eight species and distinctive subspecies that are mainly Indian and Southeast Asian endemics. The book is essentially divided into two parts, the first illustrating and describing the main plumages of waders on the ground, accompanied by succinct text which draws attention to key identification features, behaviour, habitat, the various plumages, racial variation where appropriate to the area covered by the book, and brief discussion of possible confusion species. The second half of the book concentrates on waders in flight, with the upper- and lowerwing flight patterns illustrated. This section also includes distribution accounts and distribution maps, the latter showing both hemispheres where appropriate. The cross-referencing between the two sections is good, and my initial distaste for this
