Paul has mentioned multiple times that he had a copy of the Observer's Book of Birds as a kid, and that he liked to go birdwatching in the wild areas near where he lived in Speke. (He mentions it in both the entries for Jenny Wren and Single Pigeon in The Lyrics). The birds that we have identified in the gatefold all appear in that book. The illustrations actually come from an older book called Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands (available in full at the Internet Archive).
| Bird name | Page in the Observer's Book of Birds | Bird as it appears in the collage | Notes | Original illustration from Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackbird |
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Both birds are included. Songs: Blackbird |
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| Chaffinch |
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This ID is not very obvious. (Image has been flipped, if that helps). See this explanation. |  |
| Cormorant |
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| Curlew |
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Flipped. |  |
| Gannet |
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| Garganey |
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I realise this one looks like stretch. See this explanation. |  |
| Goosander |
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I don't know why this bird is pure white in the collage. |  |
| Great crested grebe |
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| Great northern diver |
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| Great tit |
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This one took a while to find, but I think it's obviously correct. |  |
| Heron |
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| Kestrel |
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|
| Kite |
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Songs: Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite. |
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| Lapwing |
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| Long tailed duck |
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Songs: Long Tailed Winter Bird (as mentioned by Paul). |
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| Magpie |
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Songs: Two Magpies, Footprints |
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| Manx shearwater |
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Songs: Three Legs (Manx means "from the Isle of Man" and this is their flag). |
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| Osprey |
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Songs: Tommy's Coming Home |
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| Pheasant |
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Flipped. |  |
| Pochard |
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The girls whose head the bird is sitting on is currently unidentified, though the photo has been sourced. |  |
| Shag |
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| Skylark |
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Songs: Mama's Little Girl, Days We Left Behind |
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| Storm petrel |
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| Swallow |
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Songs: Is This Love? |
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| Teal |
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Songs: English Tea |
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| Whooper swan |
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Songs: This One |
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Unidentified |  |
Hopefully this bird will be identifiable in one of the printed versions of the gatefold. |
