Thanks for the handy hints n tips - I like the idea of Zen Birding, I'm getting really into Zen so that sounds great.
I recently got a couple of W H Hudson books on Ebay/WOB purely coz 'BB' keeps banging on about him. Apparently a keen bird man in the early 20th century. Not started them yet..
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Timperley life list c. 89 (ish). Barn Owl 4.11.19, Green Sand 27.8.19, Little Egret 13.2.19, ringtail harrier sp 20.10.18, Fawn Yawn 15.10.18, Grasshopper Warbler 15.4.16, Tree Pipit 13.4.16, Yellowhammer 5.4.15, Hobby May '11, Wigeon Dec '10
Mike..... David Hunts confessions of a Scilly Birdman is truly a wonderful read , and a number of copies are available on Abebooks for under a £5 a bargain on what it was fetching a few years ago .. in fact it has encouraged me to buy a spare copy
Wild America again available on Abebooks . £10 on eBay
With the mention of hippyish approach to life Zen Birding by David White is a must for you
Phoebe Snetsinger Birding on Borrowed Time is brilliant
Mark Cockers Loneliness and Time another must
BB books take me back to my childhood and early reading I treasure all my books by him
Stay dry and enjoy the winter
-- Edited by Paul Heaton on Tuesday 7th of November 2023 07:27:29 AM
I used to stock the shop at the RSPB reserve where I worked and managed to get even fairly obscure titles from Wildsounds, one old one was Golden Wings by Pete Dunne, really good. My favourite was Kingbird Highway as mentioned below, really aligned with my rather hippyish approach to life! I never managed to source in print Scilly Birdman despite trying, or Wild America.
So, I've just got 2 titles off Ebay/World of Books by probably my favourite author - 'BB'. Tying in with your comments Nick, this fella was also a great artist, and his descriptions of birds in the countryside are stunning. You may have come across him - if not, check out something like "The Idle Countryman". Just fantastic.
-- Edited by Mike Duckham on Monday 6th of November 2023 08:43:40 PM
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Timperley life list c. 89 (ish). Barn Owl 4.11.19, Green Sand 27.8.19, Little Egret 13.2.19, ringtail harrier sp 20.10.18, Fawn Yawn 15.10.18, Grasshopper Warbler 15.4.16, Tree Pipit 13.4.16, Yellowhammer 5.4.15, Hobby May '11, Wigeon Dec '10
Mr Hilton of course we all have too many but that's what the dark nights are for, trying catch up with the backlog ...
Winter Hill to Yellowhammer Lane an excellent local book , harking back to ...shall we say, easier days to go birding when more was about .
The Martin mere and Birds of Buckton on my to read pile .
Now have you read Tim Gallaghers The Grailbird ..opens ups the coffin to the fact they may still be out there
I have my Lars Johnson collection finished now so will also be looking a pictures .. or artwork as they refer to it in the posh circles
Ian Wallace's Beguiled by birds is a re read must for me and Charles Allens Prisoner of Kathmandu biography of Brain Hodgson is a the top of my pile , buts its a large pile .
Stay warm and enjoy reading in the dark nights between birding the cold days
You knew I'd have to answer a post on books! We've all got too many and none of us have room for any more (but we still continue to buy them!!!!)
I've just finished "Winter Hill to Yellowhammer Lane" (Leigh Ornithological Society). A book that has been discussed on this forum before. Very interesting looking back at historical data.
Recently I read "Martin Mere A Dream Come True" (Richard Underwood) and "Birds of Buckton" (Mark Thomas), both very enjoyable. I also read "The Travails of Two Woodpeckers, Ivory-Bills and Imperials" (Snyder, Brown & Clark), sort of nails down the coffin on expectations of finding either again!
Also, "Safari Sketchbook, A Bird Painter's African Odyssey" (Martin Woodcock), great artwork, words not so much!
This winter will be spent catching up on historical purchases, with artists books being top of the pile.
I'm half way through "Pressing On, A Decade of Linocuts" (Robert Gilmour) and have lined up after that "The Natural Eye" (The Society of Wildlife Artists).
So, basically, I'll just be looking at pictures all winter!
Well I for one am looking greatly forward to the history of Woolston Eyes due to be published in the next few weeks. From Wasteland to Wetland...see the WECG website https://www.woolstoneyes.com/ That will fill a few evenings this winter.
There was an announcement 2 days ago re the above publication which I copy below:
From Wasteland to Wetland - A History of Woolston Eyes
As many of you will know Brian Martin has been writing a history of the Woolston Eyes Reserve, and we are pleased to announce that this 212-page book it is now published.
Brians book outlines the history of the Woolston Eyes Conservation Group from its earliest days in the 1980s and its trials and triumphs as it created, with the help of the landowners and other partners, one of the foremost wetlands in the country.
Local photographers have contributed many great pictures and there are also papers on some of the most important aspects of the Eyes natural history.
There will be a drop-in event to launch the book on Saturday, 4th November when it will be available at a special price of £20. Payment on the day may be made by card machine or cash.
The venue is Grappenhall Community Library, at the junction of Victoria Avenue and Albert Road, Grappenhall, Warrington, WA4 2PE / WA4 2PF, from 2.30 to 4.30 pm.
There is also a link online to purchase the book before or after the above event.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 23rd of October 2023 10:10:09 AM
Well I for one am looking greatly forward to the history of Woolston Eyes due to be published in the next few weeks. From Wasteland to Wetland...see the WECG website https://www.woolstoneyes.com/ That will fill a few evenings this winter.
Last year my winter reading was:
a) i) the revised edition of Twitching by Numbers by Garry Bagnall - a comedic tragedy of UK twitching it felt and validation why never to be a twitcher (with certain other twitchers);
ii) a link to the archives of the UK400 Club on the Wayback machine (free bypassed the subscription) not sure I ever want to go there again.....
b) An Eye for Birds by Bruce Kendrick, a nicely written unassuming story which I suspect 90% of birders on this site could relate to, which felt to me to be a Cheshire / Wales version of c).
c) Every year at least a couple of times on the dark nights I read DIM Wallace's "Beguiled by Birds" makes one realise how much things changed, even just the simple things from borrowed 7x42 optics and now we have ever pixel under our eyes available to dissect to learning at observatories to cheque book twitching.
That looks like a very interesting read , and I have just had a message off a friend in India they are in the Sundarbans looking for tigers ..
cheers Mike
Yes, both the tracking and the stake outs are full of all sorts of interesting details about the habitat as well as the tigers - he'll be a bit warmer than Park was then - but no less axious.
You're welcome Paul
-- Edited by Mike Chorley on Saturday 21st of October 2023 05:40:23 PM
Well the birding days are getting shorter, I was wondering just what birders read in the winter assuming your reading bird books but happy to see what else your reading,I thinks these are good
Kenn Kaufman Kingbird Highway is a great USA read
Eric Hoskings An eye for a bird, is a vintage read for photographers and old school birders
A Patch Made In Heaven Dominic Couzens is a year in Britain
Wild America Roger Peterson and James Fisher
A bird in the Bush Stephen moss excellent history of British birds
