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Dewey Decimal Number: 598 EAN: 9780099289548 Edition: New Ed ISBN: 0099289547 Label: Vintage Manufacturer: Vintage Number Of Pages: 240 Publication Date: September 05, 2002 Publisher: Vintage Studio: Vintage Related Items:
Editorial Review: Amazon.co.uk Review: In Birders--Tales of a Tribe author and environmentalist Mark Crocker looks back at a lifetime's obsession with "birding"; the strange places that his fascination for ornithology has taken him, and the even stranger network of friends, acquaintances and enemies who share his passion, and make up Britain's birding "tribe". This is not a guide to birdwatching, although novices will find plenty of tantalising information, and inspiration, in Crocker's ramble through nearly 30 years of feathered fanaticism. Instead it is an attempt by a man who is part of it, to understand the "tribe"--the disparate band of fellow devotees who will slog the length and breadth of Britain for the chance to spot a rarity. Crocker is interested in recording the customs, the folklore, the language and most importantly the rules of what amounts to a secret society. Rule No.1 is no "stringing", or claiming to have spotted birds that you haven't. Birders tells its own dark and labyrinthine tale of an alleged cheat who was eventually hounded out of the hobby--suffice to say, there's a level of duplicity and intrigue surrounding this business of birdwatching that will bewilder outsiders. Hadn't he said he'd taken the photos from the car? Could it be that such a bird would allow this movement around it? [the photo] almost looked as if it were part of a professional shoot with a... the words lingered in the air, then finally slipped out--with a MODEL! If you've never driven through the night on the off chance of spotting a Blyth's Reed Warbler, you may struggle to suppress the urge to decry birders as a bunch of weird obsessives--whose status within the group is based on familiarity with the minutiae of an inconsequential hobby--but it's worth the effort. This is an intriguing, entertaining read, with a surprisingly poignant conclusion, that succeeds in its aim to record evidence of a largely hidden world. --Alex Hankin Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Wonderful readMark Cocker is a birder. He's not a birdwatcher (fans of Simon Barnes, please note) or a dude or a robin-stroker, he's a birder. If you don't understand this, then get the book. It is about those who would climb the walls of Castle Dracula with bleeding hands before dawn to get in a good position for a Wallcreeper when the sun comes up. It is authoritative, honest, fascinating and very moving. As an energetic, but not particularly adventurous birder, it made me feel empathic with those of the tribe who would twitch anywhere or crawl up the arse-end of nowhere to get a Satyr Tragopan. Buy it, read it and lend it out. It preaches and converts. I have no ulterior motive in this advocacy; the author is not a friend of mine, but I wish he was. I'd really like to go birding with him and his mates; not sure I'm up to it though. Rating: - Birders - fun and factualA book which converted me from apathy to enthusiasm, written in a deceptively relaxed style, it brought smiles, even tears, but best of all a delight in birds which has given me a great deal of pleasure. I have re-read it several times and still enjoy it. ISBN 0099289547 Birders : Mark Cocker Rating:  - Captures very little of the magic of birdingI love bird-watching and have spent many happy hours around the world behind a pair of binoculars but this book captures very little of the joy I get from watching birds. Yes it's occasionally funny and occasionally well written but most of the time it consists of little more than the birder equivalent of name dropping. I came away with a strong feeling that birding is a clique of people who feel that they are the only people who know what real birding is. Rating: - A twitchers' fables for armchair momentsThis book will sell thousands of copies because apart from dear Bill nobody has actually written much about birding and bird watchers in book form. Much of the material revolves around Cockers' friends and aquantances as well as his own experiences and travels. The writing is beautiful however and captures the books point with its style - that birding is a spiritual and a deeply personal activity. Yes there are friends, clubs, trips, equipment but in the end it comes down to moments composed of "you, the bird and the light". More of the same please from more of us - thank you Mr Cocker.  Try searching the Internet for "Birders" or Ebay for "Birders". You might also be interested in the following great products:
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