TIME was when the definitive identification guide for British and European Birds was ‘Peterson' - short for Roger Peterson, Guy Mountfort and Phil Hollom, creators of A Field Guide to The Birds of Britain and Europe.
The consensus among birders (or birdwatchers as they used to be known) was that this publication could not be surpassed for the quality of its illustrations and its pointers to specific identification characteristics in plumage.
But then along came Dublin-born ornithologist and artist Killian Mullarney who took the view that an updated manual had become more than overdue.
Why? Because the advent of high-resolution binoculars and telecopes - plus the launch of relatively low-cost digital cameras - meant that it had become possible to look at birds' plumage in a much more detailed way than hitherto.
These new insights were reflected in an increasing number of artistic and photographic contributions (sometimes revealing new species or sub-species) to British Birds magazine and other ornithological journals. But this information was not appearing in books.
'Peterson' and similar handbooks from other publishers, such as Hamlyn, had served their purpose, but they were now nowhere near as definitive as they had been in the past. Though still relevant (as they remain to this day), an explosion of fresh knowledge was rendering them out-of-date.
This recognition was springboard for publication in 1999, after much stopping and starting, of the 1st Edition of Collins Bird Guide - subtitled The Most Complete Field Guide to The Birds of Britain and Europe.
The volume proved an instant a hit with birders in the UK, across Europe and beyond.
The range of species was substantially greater, particularly with gulls. In 'Petersen', they had only comprised two plates, both in black-and-white, and only of birds in flight.
By contrast, in the 1st Edition of Collins Bird Guide, they number 16 pages, both in flight and stationary, and all in colour.
But with recent publication of the 3rd Edition, knowledge of new species and sub-species has meant that no fewer than 30 pages are now dedicated to gulls.
Right through the 3rd Edition, there have been many other enhancements, both illustrations and text, to the two predecessor editions in the wake of new information which seems to flow faster by the day.
Mullarney is not the sole artist - his companion for all three editions has been Sweden-based Dan Zetterstrom.
Presumably both have their own unique styles but it is well-night impossible for an untrained eye to establish which species were painted by which artist. Were they working to a style they agreed to between themselves?
Whatever the case, every depiction, without exception, is fantastic - often almost mesmerisingly exquisite in detail.
Where space allows, with some species - for instance Alpine swifts - they have improved on earlier editions by incorporating additional habitat backdrop both to provide context and to create ‘in-the-field’ atmosphere which add vibrancy to the plates.
A word, too, for the concise textural descriptions of individual species and maps supplied by Lars Svensson, successor to Killian's co-initiator, Peter Grant who sadly has died since publication of the 1st Edition.
The 3rd Edition of Collins Bird Guide is published at £30. Within the UK, it is currently only available in hardback.
However, there is also an App, and a paperback version is due out, possibly as soon as next month.
