For this new edition – The Helm Guide to Bird Identification, Keith Vinicombe would like to thank Dominic Mitchell and all the staff at Birdwatch for their help, encouragement and generosity over many years. Some of the texts in this book have been revised and adapted from articles originally written for Birdwatch and Keith is grateful to Dominic for allowing him to do this. He is also extremely grateful to Pete Fraser for providing up-to-date and unpublished statistics for scarce migrants. Thanks also to Alan Bone, Robin Chittenden, Lee Evans, Rupert Higgins, Brian Lancastle, Sid Massey, Martin McGill, Nigel Milbourne, Richard Mielcarek, Killian Mullarney, Andy Musgrove, Mark Ponsford, Brian Rabbitts, Chris Trott and Jack Willmott for their help in various ways. Alan Harris would like to offer special thanks to his birding companions of several decades, namely the members of the Rye Meads Ringing Group and the North Thames Gull Group.
We are, of course, grateful to all the people who helped with the original book: Dr Tim Sharrock for all his help and guidance; the British Birds Identification Notes Panel who scrutinised the text and plates; Alan Dean, the late Peter Grant, Steve Madge and Dr Malcolm Ogilvie for their invaluable comments, and editor David Christie. At the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, we should like to thank Martin Brown, James Godfrey, Nigel Jarrett and Martin McGill for showing us around the breeding pens at Slimbridge and for discussing at length the ageing and sexing of wildfowl. Peter Colston at what is now the Natural History Museum at Tring was as helpful as always during our various visits to check skins. Keith Vinicombe is particularly grateful to Grahame Walbridge, whose unparalleled knowledge was regularly tapped, and to the following, who helped in various ways: Andy Barber, Martin Cade, Tim Cleeves, Andy Clements, Andy Davis, Pete Fraser, Andy Hawkins, Pete Hopkin, John Marchant, Chris Newman, Antony Merritt, Andy and Sally Middleton, Tony Pym, Dick Senior, Chris Stone and Nigel Tucker. He is also eternally indebted to Chris and Theresa Stone and to Geoff and Sarah Upton for attempting to keep him sane. Several people have loaned original artwork for this edition, we are indebted to Tim and Ann Cleeves, Mike Harris, Vera Harris, Ian Kendall, Jane Marshall, Paul Roper, Chris and Theresa Stone, Paul Tout and Malcolm Wilson for this kindness.
The author and artist, however, take full responsibility for any errors that may have crept in from the first version of the book. Last but not least, Keith is eternally grateful to his wife Jane for all her help, support, patience and understanding.