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Be a Birder: The Joy of Birdwatching and How to Get Started
'Birds have been with me my entire life - from the colourful weaver birds on the banks of the Nile in Sudan to the magpies of Newcastle, from the roosting peregrine falcons near my parents' house in Northampton to the white-tailed eagles on the west coast of Scotland. I love them. If you take the time to stop and listen, you'll see the world through different eyes. It's all out there, waiting for you to find it. And it might just bring you as much joy as it's brought me.'
Journey along with Hamza in Be a Birder as he recounts stories of his birding adventures, and shares tips and tricks to help you get started in birdwatching.
In this beautifully illustrated guide, featuring fifty of Hamza's favourite birds, you will learn how to start identifying birds, understand their behaviour and movements, and find even more exciting birds, wherever you are. Starting with the goldfinch in your garden, to tawny owls in woodlands, to the elusive kingfisher near rivers and marshes, you will build your birdwatching confidence and push yourself further afield to find new feathered wonders.
Encouraging us all to stop, step outside and listen, Be a Birder is both a practical guide and a joyous celebration of these incredible creatures. Once you start looking for them, and with Hamza as your guide, your world will be forever changed.
Journey along with Hamza in Be a Birder as he recounts stories of his birding adventures, and shares tips and tricks to help you get started in birdwatching.
In this beautifully illustrated guide, featuring fifty of Hamza's favourite birds, you will learn how to start identifying birds, understand their behaviour and movements, and find even more exciting birds, wherever you are. Starting with the goldfinch in your garden, to tawny owls in woodlands, to the elusive kingfisher near rivers and marshes, you will build your birdwatching confidence and push yourself further afield to find new feathered wonders.
Encouraging us all to stop, step outside and listen, Be a Birder is both a practical guide and a joyous celebration of these incredible creatures. Once you start looking for them, and with Hamza as your guide, your world will be forever changed.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2023
40 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
June 8, 2024
Easy going read about bird watching
August 27, 2025
Accessible, joyful and unendingly enjoyable. It's brimming with passion, information and a love for birds, wildlife and the world around us. This was truly a delight to read.
April 22, 2024
Sweet and accessible.
June 23, 2024
Yassin's passion for birds is so delightful.
May 21, 2024
Just a really lovely book. Conversational (in a good way), informative, and readable. Would probably need another reference book to actually identify things in the field (whereas Tree-spotting which I read a while back pulled double duty pretty effectively), but the little bios for each bird are nice for ignorant folks like myself.
January 1, 2024
This is a wonderful book written with passion and heart
Hamza Yassin has become a familiar television favourite as his film making of wildlife is widely seen.
This book is a brilliant introduction and guide to being a birdwatcher.
It is written in such a down to earth manner and friendly voice that it cold be used by anyone from eight to eighty.
The first section provides a back drop to Hamza's life and his introduction to wildlife photography and 'being a birder'; this is followed by ideas and advice for equipment and how to begin your bird watching journey- it is written in such a humble and enticing manner that it makes you want to run out a buy binoculars.
The majority of the book explores 50 birds - divided into sections identifying the locations such as woodland, coastal etc where specific types of birds maybe found accompanied with plenty of concise information as to how to spot each species.
A winning book that is a joy to read and full great information for being a birder
Hamza Yassin has become a familiar television favourite as his film making of wildlife is widely seen.
This book is a brilliant introduction and guide to being a birdwatcher.
It is written in such a down to earth manner and friendly voice that it cold be used by anyone from eight to eighty.
The first section provides a back drop to Hamza's life and his introduction to wildlife photography and 'being a birder'; this is followed by ideas and advice for equipment and how to begin your bird watching journey- it is written in such a humble and enticing manner that it makes you want to run out a buy binoculars.
The majority of the book explores 50 birds - divided into sections identifying the locations such as woodland, coastal etc where specific types of birds maybe found accompanied with plenty of concise information as to how to spot each species.
A winning book that is a joy to read and full great information for being a birder
December 20, 2023
A joyous read. Hamza's love of birds shines through every page.
The first chapter deals with Hamza's arrival in the U.K. and his schooling and university life, and he reveals how he initially got into birding.
The sections are then divided into habitats eg coast, moor and mountain.
Each bird chosen from that habitat is given its scientific name, whether it is easy to spot or not, given a three word description, such as slow, floating glider for the Red Kite and following this, many interesting facts.
I was fascinated to read that the colour of the eyes of owls can tell you what time of day they hunt.
A delightful little book, handy to have in a pocket on a day out.
Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.
The first chapter deals with Hamza's arrival in the U.K. and his schooling and university life, and he reveals how he initially got into birding.
The sections are then divided into habitats eg coast, moor and mountain.
Each bird chosen from that habitat is given its scientific name, whether it is easy to spot or not, given a three word description, such as slow, floating glider for the Red Kite and following this, many interesting facts.
I was fascinated to read that the colour of the eyes of owls can tell you what time of day they hunt.
A delightful little book, handy to have in a pocket on a day out.
Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.
November 21, 2023
I haven’t written a review in a while but this book was worth it. I came across Hamza’s career purely by chance, and I’m so glad I did. This book is pure serotonin, and I am genuinely sorry that I’ve finished it, because many times I’ve come to it feeling a bit down and two paragraphs in, I feel like myself again. He shares his enthusiasm and knowledge while still being relatable and I feel his joy of discovery in each page. Gushing but being a fledgling and very amateur birder that can feel very isolated at times, he’s kept my interest and enthusiasm going, and I’m very grateful for it! Anyways, read this book.
October 23, 2023
This book is a joy. It is reminiscent of nature books from childhood in all the good ways. Descriptions on a page brought to life by Hamza's vivid visual and auditory descriptions and excellent anecdotes about birds both familiar and rarely observed. This is the kind of book you buy as a gift to inspire.
June 3, 2024
I’m so happy to have discovered this lovely book, written and narrated by Hamza Yassin.
Be A Birder is in two sections in my mind. The first part helps us to learn more about Hamza, his early life, and how his love for wildlife, specifically birds, grew. Then how Hamza found himself to be a regular face and voice on our TV screens. The second part features some of the many birds that hold Hamza’s affection. It gives great detail on their endangered status, habitat and many interesting facts.
We love our garden in a small rural town, and the wildlife that we now attract, since re-wilding our lawn, and other measures to help nature. We are very lucky to have many of the birds mentioned by Hamza, from sparrows and finches, to the Pergrines and a Sparrow Hawk once, visit us. So this book felt like a natural fit for me.
Hamza brought all of these wonderful birds to life. I loved learning how he thinks of some of their calls, such as the male Eider Duck, and that he thinks of the Long Tail Tits as being like little lollipops. His warm affection for these beautiful birds shine through his words and voice. I found listening to this audiobook was such a relaxing experience. Hamza’s voice is so familiar, very soothing. The book is really informative, from facts you would expect to learn about birds, to facts about laws passed by King Henry VIII, which sadly impacted on our wildlife.
If I had to choose, I think the Albatross section was my favourite.
I am in awe of Wisdom the Albatross, while I feel that Albie needs a hug.
Hearing about the amount of plastic inadvertently fed to Albatross chicks by their parents, made me feel both angry and incredibly sad all at once.
In summary, this delightful book is just the loveliest of listens. If you are looking for a relaxing, kind, uplifting book, this is the one for you. Easily a 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read/listen.
Be A Birder is in two sections in my mind. The first part helps us to learn more about Hamza, his early life, and how his love for wildlife, specifically birds, grew. Then how Hamza found himself to be a regular face and voice on our TV screens. The second part features some of the many birds that hold Hamza’s affection. It gives great detail on their endangered status, habitat and many interesting facts.
We love our garden in a small rural town, and the wildlife that we now attract, since re-wilding our lawn, and other measures to help nature. We are very lucky to have many of the birds mentioned by Hamza, from sparrows and finches, to the Pergrines and a Sparrow Hawk once, visit us. So this book felt like a natural fit for me.
Hamza brought all of these wonderful birds to life. I loved learning how he thinks of some of their calls, such as the male Eider Duck, and that he thinks of the Long Tail Tits as being like little lollipops. His warm affection for these beautiful birds shine through his words and voice. I found listening to this audiobook was such a relaxing experience. Hamza’s voice is so familiar, very soothing. The book is really informative, from facts you would expect to learn about birds, to facts about laws passed by King Henry VIII, which sadly impacted on our wildlife.
If I had to choose, I think the Albatross section was my favourite.
I am in awe of Wisdom the Albatross, while I feel that Albie needs a hug.
Hearing about the amount of plastic inadvertently fed to Albatross chicks by their parents, made me feel both angry and incredibly sad all at once.
In summary, this delightful book is just the loveliest of listens. If you are looking for a relaxing, kind, uplifting book, this is the one for you. Easily a 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read/listen.
September 8, 2024
Top read part autobiography part short paragraphs on different UK birds ! 🦅
June 13, 2025
I loved this book!! I came to it already as an invested birder so I knew I would like the content, but I think this book is also great for someone who is completely new to the birding world!
It was packed full of such interesting facts I would keep my partner up at night trying to tell him what I’d learnt!! The style of writing is very conversational which makes it accessible easy and light-reading.
I actually read the book twice before I put it on here because the first time I hadn’t read it in chronological order and rather sporadically picked birds I wanted to learn about. But the second time through was no less interesting as I sequestered even more fun facts to badger people with! Some of my highlights were the dipper, the dotterel and the swifts!
Additionally, through this book and his story, Hamza has inspired me to work even harder to pursue a career in the area I’m most passionate about, as he did :)
It was packed full of such interesting facts I would keep my partner up at night trying to tell him what I’d learnt!! The style of writing is very conversational which makes it accessible easy and light-reading.
I actually read the book twice before I put it on here because the first time I hadn’t read it in chronological order and rather sporadically picked birds I wanted to learn about. But the second time through was no less interesting as I sequestered even more fun facts to badger people with! Some of my highlights were the dipper, the dotterel and the swifts!
Additionally, through this book and his story, Hamza has inspired me to work even harder to pursue a career in the area I’m most passionate about, as he did :)
January 29, 2024
I’ve been on the birdwatching scene for a few years now and still count myself as a complete novice. It’s a hobby where you’re always learning and always have something to learn. Nature will always continue to show you new and mind blowing things and the sense of awe, wonder and excitement I don’t think ever leaves you. And the book manages to capture all of that!
Hamza’s enthusiasm becomes your enthusiasm as you read on through his own experiences of becoming passionate about the natural world. Through his progression to become a videographer and more, he shares his expertise, drops bird knowledge bombs and entertains you along the way.
It’s a perfect book to be your companion through your explorations into the environment and will teach you an awful lot, whether you’re a novice or an experienced twitcher.
I love the focuses on the different birds, with pages dedicated to each which will have you feeling confident to go out and discover them for yourself. From where you’d expect to find them, to what they look like and super interesting information and tidbits about each bird. I also loved the ‘three words to describe the bird’ feature, which always managed to be perfect and utterly spot on!
I have an ebook copy of this but it’s definitely has merit as a book to have as a physical, throw it in your birding bag with your snacks and have it with you on the run.
This was a great read and one I really enjoyed. Greatly written, super informative and an essential for every nature lover!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
Hamza’s enthusiasm becomes your enthusiasm as you read on through his own experiences of becoming passionate about the natural world. Through his progression to become a videographer and more, he shares his expertise, drops bird knowledge bombs and entertains you along the way.
It’s a perfect book to be your companion through your explorations into the environment and will teach you an awful lot, whether you’re a novice or an experienced twitcher.
I love the focuses on the different birds, with pages dedicated to each which will have you feeling confident to go out and discover them for yourself. From where you’d expect to find them, to what they look like and super interesting information and tidbits about each bird. I also loved the ‘three words to describe the bird’ feature, which always managed to be perfect and utterly spot on!
I have an ebook copy of this but it’s definitely has merit as a book to have as a physical, throw it in your birding bag with your snacks and have it with you on the run.
This was a great read and one I really enjoyed. Greatly written, super informative and an essential for every nature lover!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
December 29, 2023
Combine Hamza’s clear passion for birds and conservation, with a friendly and engaging writing style, and you have this book. The sheer happiness and positivity, humour and knowledge, make this a great book for people of all ages - and if you’re looking to get into bird watching but are daunted by the thought of getting started, this will give you a great introduction.
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.
June 20, 2024
I absolutely loved ‘Be a Birder’. It was informative without being overwhelming, accessible and full of enthusiasm for the birds we share our gardens, parks, cities and coastlines with. It was a joy to read and is a perfect place to start if you’re interested in learning more about our feathered friends and what we can do to help them thrive. It left me feeling hopeful, inspired and excited to get outside and encounter as many of the birds I read about as I can!
As a dyslexic person I find certain fonts and layouts a little tricky to read but I found the font and spacing really good and accessible in this book. The author himself talks openly about his dyslexia diagnosis in the introduction and I love that - there isn’t much representation of dyslexia and I think it’s so important that there is, especially for young people to see themselves represented and know that our differences (whatever they may be) are also our strengths! He also touches on the importance of diverse representation which is again, so incredibly important! So, not only is it a wonderful pocket guide to birds, it’s also a celebration of diversity too. I absolutely loved it from start to finish.
As a dyslexic person I find certain fonts and layouts a little tricky to read but I found the font and spacing really good and accessible in this book. The author himself talks openly about his dyslexia diagnosis in the introduction and I love that - there isn’t much representation of dyslexia and I think it’s so important that there is, especially for young people to see themselves represented and know that our differences (whatever they may be) are also our strengths! He also touches on the importance of diverse representation which is again, so incredibly important! So, not only is it a wonderful pocket guide to birds, it’s also a celebration of diversity too. I absolutely loved it from start to finish.
September 14, 2024
I think this is a cleverly written book which must surely have widespread appeal for young and old, though I would say it is least likely to be attractive to experienced birdwatchers - but for someone like me, with limited knowledge, there is plenty of new and fascinating information. It's written in an engaging chatty style with useful descriptions of the birds featured, some (to my mind) amazing lesser-known facts about each one, plus anecdotes about Hamza's own experiences in watching these birds. Each bird is introduced by a fabulous line drawing and a set of basic details such as Latin name, conservation status, distinguishing features, ease of sighting / where to look. His 'In five words' key facts to know about each bird is fun and unique. I also loved the autobiographical introduction which explains how Hamza became interested in birds and set about increasing his knowledge.
I have enjoyed reading the book from beginning to end and I am sure I will use it for reference in the future. I can't wait to check out the gannet cam and the two puffin cams I didn't know about...
I have enjoyed reading the book from beginning to end and I am sure I will use it for reference in the future. I can't wait to check out the gannet cam and the two puffin cams I didn't know about...
June 23, 2024
A beautiful book. Aimed at young birders with advice and really interesting facts. I enjoyed the facts. Learnt lots of new things but then as you see a bird you can look back at what Hamza said about them. Even though it’s aimed at young birders a 54 year old women who is often lost in a forest following bird sound found it really endearing. Hamza is a marvellous gentlemen he would like everyone to appreciate the bird life we are lucky to have surrounding us , where ever we are , who ever we are. Start them young my granddaughter loves going out aimed with a big finder and binns. Today she heard her first cuckoo.
It’s a lovely , quite quick read or dip in
and out. I hope I can remember some of the Latin names as some of them are fascinating.
Thank you Hamza 💚
It’s a lovely , quite quick read or dip in
and out. I hope I can remember some of the Latin names as some of them are fascinating.
Thank you Hamza 💚
November 11, 2023
Though by no means a hugely skilled birder, I thought that this book might be a little too basic for me on reading the introduction, but there's actually a raft of interesting information that I wasn't aware of. The book really hits its stride when getting onto the individual bird species. Hamza's enthusiasm is infectious and it's great to see someone living a dream who didn't necessarily grow up with every advantage in life. One of the good things about this book is that it can also be used as a reference book to dip in and out of, perhaps as a more accessible version than dedicated bird guidebooks.
October 25, 2023
A little gem of a book. I’ve been a birder and wildlife watcher for over 30 years and I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely book. I also learned stuff I didn’t know as well. Very much worth the money I loved the writing style too. I just read it from cover to cover and I’m sure I’ll continue to dip in and out of it in the future.
Thoroughly recommend this.
Thoroughly recommend this.
December 27, 2023
A book to have on every shelf! I love the descriptions and little anecdotes of the birds, and of course Hamza’s voice comes through beautifully in every line. I would’ve preferred the illustrations to be in colour (and the font to be serif rather than sans serif), but those are just my own preferences!
May 11, 2024
I’ve always loved birds and found this book really interesting. It was packed with so much information and had detailed pictures.
I can’t wait to try and spot some of the birds I have learnt about.
Thanks to NetGalley, Hamza Yassin and Octopus publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I can’t wait to try and spot some of the birds I have learnt about.
Thanks to NetGalley, Hamza Yassin and Octopus publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
February 3, 2025
This is a lovely book. It fulfils its primary function as an introduction to birdwatching in the UK, with an introduction and then a couple of pages each about a selection of birds - and it also has a delightful amount of Hamza, his enthusiasm and kindness. It's aimed at beginners but every section has something I didn't know.
It's in a big font, too, for a very gentle read.
It's in a big font, too, for a very gentle read.
October 19, 2023
i loved this! i am not a birdwatcher and know nothing much about wildlife, but as someone who is looking to score nature documentaries for a career this was so interesting to read from an inside perspective !! i loved telling my mum bird facts and passing the info on too :)
January 7, 2024
What a brilliant book - I’ve recently started to learn about birds and this book combines interesting etymology, environmental information, brilliant stories that make you fall in love with birds and really practical tips on how and where to spot them.
September 23, 2024
I absolutely loved learning about Hamza and how he got into life as a wildlife cameraman. The opening chapters were my favourite part. This book is so accessible, I hope it is found by the right kind of people who want to get started birdwatching.
November 27, 2023
Just really, really nice
December 29, 2023
An informative and entertaining read from an engaging nature writer.
January 15, 2024
Hamza's joy is infectious! A lovely, accessible read. Lots of quirky, memorable little facts and great anecdotes from Hamza. Loved it. A colour illustrated version would be amazing.
January 22, 2024
Wonderful book, listened on audio which was narrated by Hamza and dull of his enthusiasm, but can imagine the book may have good photos or illustrations to accompany.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews