276°
Posted 20 hours ago

Twitching by numbers: A birder's account of his hectic life as he chases rare species across Britain and Ireland

£9.995£19.99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

We are talking about a book written by Gary Bagnell, not Shakespeare or Jane Austen, although it is clear those who are "unhappy" appear to have read the publication from cover to cover - surely a cure for insomnia Twitching by numbers: a birder’s account of his hectic life as he chases rare species across Britain and Ireland(revised edition) During the story I get selected for a BBC documentary called "Twitchers: A very British Obsession" and formed a successful WhatsApp group called “Casual Twitchers”.

Just before Christmas, Garry Bagnell published Twitching by numbers: Twenty-four years of chasing rare birds around Britain and Ireland. Garry's description of every Twitch he has done in the last 24 years and his illustrations of the best rare birdsThere have been several books about twitching in Britain in the past, some interesting and exciting, others so full of inaccuracies that they were better off in the fiction section. And, I must admit, I do like reading tales of twitching; as someone who used to be an active twitcher, I understand the thrill of seeing something new, the logistics of getting there and the obsession required to reach the far-flung corners of Britain (and, in this case, Ireland) at the drop of a hat. I am also fascinated by the characters involved – some are great bird-finders; some rely on the next piece of rare-bird news to plan their day; some are from well-paid jobs with understanding bosses; some have understanding partners and supportive friends; while for others there’s an element of ‘sneaking in’ the twitching between other aspects of their life. Many of the people and places named in this book are familiar to me from my days living in the UK. There are 640 different bird species that been recorded in a wild state in Britain and Ireland. I've categorised these species into rarity value and my book describes the adventures of seeing 218 of them. 57 of these are so rare that it would take anywhere from 10 years to eternity to repeat. I had never heard of a foam party until I read this book – maybe I should get out more, or maybe not. Innuendo and/or explicit images were also a mainstay of the Carry On and Confessions of movies that were popular in the 1980s and before. Though most twitchers are bird-lovers, the sport is mostly about the chase. Bagnell, for instance, drove 90 minutes and searched the ground for a half-hour before he spotted the coy shorelark in beach scrub. He eyed it for a few moments before tweeting his find, then moved on. "I've got another bird to get three hours away," he said.

This book (and I use the term book loosely) should have been allowed to fail as it’s contents clearly deserves. Unfortunately the continuing observations (this post included) draws attention to a publication which rightly should to be consigned to the bin of history ASAP. A smartphone app to help British birders is being advertised as an essential tool when "there have even been recent cases of violent clashes between bird watchers as people desperately try to get the very best spots". Twitching by Numbers: twenty-four years of chasing uncommon birds round Britain and Eire by Garry Bagnell is self printed. The desk close to the again of this e-book which lists the High 10 listers in Britain and Eire in 1987 and now (two names seem in each lists) is fascinating. You’d have been on the prime of the record in 1987, apart Ron Johns, in the event you had seen a paltry (I jest!) 463 species whereas now Steve Gantlett’s estimated 590 species leads all of them. Twitching is a lifetime marathon and because the writer factors out you’ll must spend 4 a long time at it, and pretty obsessively at it, to face any probability of a prime 10 rating. All of the names within the two lists are males – who may have guessed? I'm blown away with how popular my book is and I've had over 50 people sending me private/public messages of how much they have enjoyed the book so far. Here are some of public messages.But sections of soon came under the notice of feminist Lucy McRobert who, like him, is both a birder and a writer - but on a different wavelength and at the primmer end of the literary spectrum.

This is simply a religion. Belief systems, priests telling everyone what to say or think, salvation by doing and saying the right things, all heading towards utopia (which we never seem to arrive at!). I had by no means heard of a foam get together till I learn this e-book – perhaps I ought to get out extra, or perhaps not.Encountering rare birds is amazing, I’ll never forget coming across a grounded little auk in a public park and if I ever look out at my mum’s bird table and see a rose coloured starling I’d probably be at serious risk of cardiac arrest from excitement. But instead of seeing something that’s wandered on to your local patch you travel hundreds of miles to see it then I feel that the experience is a bit devalued. All the same twitching is a far less damaging way to be obsessive about birds than standing in a butt and try to shoot as many as possible that have been driven towards you by a bored teenager looking for beer money. The One-Star rating is the least possible to be able to submit a review - please count this as a Negative 1-star.

Birdspotter This author has written a brutally honest and in-depth account of his life and hobby. This version, dubbed the '18+ edition' in some quarters, is compulsive reading from the start. The book takes you through the various twitching adventures in the British Isles and aspects of my private life. He hasn’t wasted a second of his life because he is also an authority on aircraft and a county standard chess player In the wake of the uproar, Mr Bagnell (55), an accountant, of Southwater in West Sussex, has both apologised for any upset he has caused and indicated that he now intends to rewrite his book, self-censoring the sections that have caused such offence.Garry Bagnell looks for a shorelark at Great Yarmouth. Unsuccessful sightings are known as 'dips'. Photograph: Andrew Testa/The Washington Post

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment