THIS time our recommendation is for two delightful books by Matt Sewell about our native British birds.

Our Garden Birds, and the recently published Our Songbirds are both available in hardback gift edition at £10 each.

In the first volume, artist Matt Sewell offers his unique take on 52 of our favourite British garden birds.

His illustrations first appeared in the “Bird of the Week” feature for the Caught by the River website.

His watercolour depictions of the birds capture the distinctive character of each bird and are accompanied by his innovative descriptions such as Great Tits “bossing the other birds around”, the Green Woodpecker “flying like a madman up and down the trees”, and the Tawny Owl “like an old professor caught napping in his study”.

Our Songbirds follows the same format, featuring 52 characters from the bird world, including the Capercaillie shouting “quick, quick, quick” and the Wren – “small and humble, yet loud beyond his size”. These books would be ideal as an introduction to our native birds for children and adults as well as a great gift for keen twitchers.

Both books also feature a Spotting and Jotting section for the keen birdwatchers among us.