Our Wild Things columnist Eric Brown recommends a basic mini bird guide that won't break the back or the bank and can settle those disputes about identification of garden birds.

This is surely the age of miniaturization. The age when small is beautiful.

Gone are the days when computers were the size of buses, television sets arrived concealed in large wooden cupboards with doors while you needed two hands and a strong back to lift one of the early radios.

Wild Things: Do your part to keep the countryside safe

Mobile telephones have also shrunk from house-brick size and weight with aerials to lightweight, shirt-pocket versions.

Wildlife watching aids followed this trend. Post-war binoculars tended to be of the "Ship's Captain" 10x50 variety often toted by actor Kenneth Moore on the bridge of navy ships in black and white war films. Drawtube telescopes were also usually ex-navy.

Most of these are now confined to museums as their successors shed pounds like a weight watchers regular. The trend continues with a pocket-sized telescope and newly-launched 8x40 binoculars which set lightweight records.

Publishers seem to have realised there is room in the market for lightweight bird guides, too. While there will always be demand for heavyweight, comprehensive books encompassing all UK species, mini-guides aimed at the casual birdwatcher are also popular.

The RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds lays down a challenge to lead the mini-market. This 272-page, 7x4.5in bird identification aid is perfect to slip in the pocket for a country walk, keeping on a kitchen shelf to settle garden bird ID or storing in a car glovebox.

Wild Things: A new buzzword to add to our nature vocabulary

With illustrations and details of more than 300 bird species packed between its glossy covers, it is perfect for birdwatching beginners or those described these days as "improvers." One of the most useful features is a small section on each page describing which species may be confused with the subject bird.

Most pages feature at least three illustrations by superb Kent-based artist Stephen Message while prolific author Marianne Taylor contributes concise, factual pen-portraits to eliminate ID confusion. One small gripe: a laminated cover would have provided more durability in the field but at such a bargain price this lightweight tome won't break the bank or the back.