There were many milestones during the development and completion of the art plates that do really stand out as lasting life memories. The first plate of the project, Atlantic and Horned Puffins (Plate 105), was finished in May of 2006. The last illustrations, a half plate, Band-rumped Storm-petrel (Plate 151), was completed 15 years later in May of 2020. The text was completed and finally handed in on Monday, 17 May 2021. Perhaps the most poignant milestone occurred on Thursday, 27 May 2021, when the Lynx team in Barcelona, headed by Amy Chernasky, sent us video of SEABIRDS leaving the printing press at 2- or 3-second intervals. It was all so surreal—a huge warehouse facility full of fantastic machines, each with a separate task, some printing, others cutting, folding, sewing, gluing and assembling, and with gowned and masked professional figures reviewing colour proofs. It all had the look of a Hollywood Willy Wonka book factory set. I had tears in my eyes; at last, we had completed perhaps one of the most important projects of our lives.

Seabirder, author and artist Peter Harrison discusses “SEABIRDS: The New Identification Guide”

https://www.peterharrisonseabirds.com/