I have just finished reading a copy of the this new publication (March 2015) by CEDER ( Centre for Rural Development of the Axarquia) entitled "The Birds of the Axarquia." I started my reading full of hope and excitement but within minutes was feeling more and more disappointed. As a result I have undertaken a proper review of the booklet and it appears below. My understanding is that this book is freely available and for free at local town halls in the Axarquia but, as mentioned on the Facebook site, I suspect you may well have to ask for a copy rather than find it freely displayed.
Birds
of the Axarquia
Produced
by Ceder (Center for Rural
Development of the Axarquia)
March
2015
What, on the
face of it, seems a rather lovely and encouraging idea to introduce the
thousand of British and English-speaking residents in the area to the birds
that live and can be found in the Axarquia.
Obviously written by a native birding enthusiast with support and
encouragement by many, judging by the credits and acknowledgements that appear
at the rear, the booklet sets out the background to the area with the main text
covering six distinct habits that may be found in the Axarquia; urban, river,
mountain, coastal, forest and agricultural areas. The booklet ends with a two-page Appendix
illustrating the area and topography, names of the body parts of an individual
bird but, sadly, the author has either forgotten or been unable to translate
the latter from its original Spanish into English. The booklet is not a bird guide offering
suggestions of where to specifically visit to observe birds nor covers all the
birds of the area; such a task would be impossible without producing a more
substantial edition. Rather, it is an
introduction, an overview, of what might be possible in birding terms in the
Axarquia.
I can only assume that this particular booklet is a
translation from an original in the Spanish language because the above is the
end of all the good news. This particular booklet fails in every
aspect and can only be described as a hindrance rather than a help to any
British reader wanting to find out more about our local birds. There are four specific areas that need to be
addressed should, hopefully, the promoters produce a second or replacement
edition:
- The photographs are of a very poor quality and, in fairness, this may be down to the printing /production process rather than the originals. All are far over-exposed and, in some cases such as the Short-toed Eagle, come out almost as a silhouette. As such, these illustrations fail to help those with no or limited knowledge of what a particular bird may look like.
- The booklet is full of factual errors with individual birds being given the wrong or incorrect English name, albeit having the correct scientific name, perhaps reinforcing the idea that this is a booklet simply translated from a Spanish original. Mistakes start on the very first page with the Barn Swallow (simply “Swallow” to most UK residents) being titled “Common Sparrow” and House Martin as “Common Plane.” Other glaring mistakes are the Night Heron (“Jack”), Short-toed Eagle (“Snake Eagle”) and the Coal Tit, mistakenly named (also) “Great Tit.” Also, at the end of the “Coastal” section, mention is made of the Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis, which is such a rare visitor to Andalucia nevermind the Axarquia district, rather than the very common Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo.
- Other birds retain their local Spanish name illustrating that the proof reading has been of a very poor standard, “Gaviota Reidora” (Black-headed Gull) and Gaviota Patiamarilla “Yellow-legged Gull” on page 40.
- Finally, throughout the booklet the translation has either relied on some automatic process such as “google translate” or an uncorroborated translation which would, hopefully, have picked up many of the simple errors.
In conclusion, this is a missed opportunity to
introduce our Axarquia English-speaking community to its local birds, both
resident and migrants. So much good
might have been achieved by taking just that little extra bit of care and
attention. There are many British
birders living in the area and all the factual errors referred to above could
have been corrected within thirty minutes.
Similarly, a quick read through of the proof by a native
English-speaking reader would have amended just about all the basic translation
imperfections. Why o why did not
somebody realise this before going to print?
A lot of resources, not to mention actual funding judging by the credits
on the reverse cover, have been expended to produce what can only be described
as a “pretty booklet” rather than a useful introduction to the birds of the
Axarquia. Indeed, British birders of
even average experience will be pulling their hair out in frustration at these
most basic glaring errors.
The reverse cover contains these very fine words:
Birds of the
Axarquia
This guide aims to
serve as an introduction to ornithology for people who want to feel sensations
observing these species and who had not previously contemplated entering the
amazing world of birds.
As new fans, it has
been structured according to different habitats in which you can find birds,
and also has tried to show clearly and simply, all those many significant
aspects that identify each of the birds that regard this habitat as a place of
refuge.
Unfortunately, the substance does not live up to the
reality through want of foresight and attention to detail to correct the
written errors described above.
Disappointing, perhaps, sums up my overall impression.
