A Bird in the Bush: A Social History of Birdwatching - Hardcover

Moss, Stephen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1854109936 ISBN 13: 9781854109934

Publisher: Aurum Press, 2004

Synopsis

These days the RSPB (the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) has over a million active members. Watching birds is one of the most popular of all leisure pursuits. For many people it offers a tranquil day out at a picturesque nature reserve with a nice tea shop; for many more - the fabled "twitchers" beloved of media jokes - it is a fiercely competitive sport that requires a pager, a fast car and enormous stamina. It is a hobby that has spawned a big and lucrative industry, to supply anything from birding holidays in South America to state-of-the-art telescopes and even bird-call ringtones for a mobile phone. Kenneth Clarke is a birdwatcher; so, apparently, is Jarvis Cocker. Why, and how, have people watched birds through the ages? Stephen Moss's book traces the history and development of this singular pastime, on both sides of the Atlantic, all the way from Gilbert White, the country parson who wrote "The Natural History of Selborne" in the 18th century, through the British servicemen who studied Black Redstarts from their German prisoner-of-war camp, to today's driven "life-listers" and twisters who think nothing of hurtling the length of the UK by planes, automobiles and even boats in pursuit of a Grey-Tailed Tattler temporarily landfallen in the Shetland Isles.

About this title

Review:

Eye-opening... An affectionate, enterprising book, which proves that birdwatchers can be as instructive to watch as birds. -- John Carey, Sunday Times, 15 August 2004

Wonderful... beautifully told. He packs his pages with fascinating, often hilarious anecdotes and information. A surprise and a delight. -- Val Hennessy, Daily Mail, Critic's Choice 30 July 2004

About the Author:

Stephen Moss is a writer and broadcaster who has written the monthly Birdwatch column in the Guardian since 1993. He worked for many years at the world-famous BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, where his award-winning TV series included Birding with Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild and Springwatch. He is also a regular voice on BBC radio. He has authored a number of books for Aurum, including This Birding Life: The Best of the Guardian’s Birdwatch, A Bird in the Bush: A Social History of Birdwatching, A Sky Full of Starlings: A Diary of the Birding Year and Wild Hares and Hummingbirds. He lives in Somerset with his wife Suzanne and five children.

About this edition

• Publisher: Aurum Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1854109936
• ISBN 13: 9781854109934
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 375