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Blokes And Birds
96 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2003
About the author
Stephen Moss
75 books160 followersLibrarian Note: there is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
Stephen Moss is a naturalist, broadcaster, television producer and author. In a distinguished career at the BBC Natural History Unit his credits included Springwatch, Birds Britannia and The Nature of Britain. His books include The Robin: A Biography, A Bird in the Bush, The Bumper Book of Nature, Wild Hares and Hummingbirds and Wild Kingdom. He is also Senior Lecturer in Nature and Travel Writing at Bath Spa University. Originally from London, he lives with his family on the Somerset Levels, and is President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust. He is a regular contributor to the Guardian.
Stephen Moss is a naturalist, broadcaster, television producer and author. In a distinguished career at the BBC Natural History Unit his credits included Springwatch, Birds Britannia and The Nature of Britain. His books include The Robin: A Biography, A Bird in the Bush, The Bumper Book of Nature, Wild Hares and Hummingbirds and Wild Kingdom. He is also Senior Lecturer in Nature and Travel Writing at Bath Spa University. Originally from London, he lives with his family on the Somerset Levels, and is President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust. He is a regular contributor to the Guardian.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 15, 2020
A fairly quick read but not just a series of daft (and pretty entertaining) pictures. There are some great anecdotes that will make you laugh and think more about nature. Shame the bird photos weren't in colour, given the descriptions. You're left with a warm feeling about birders, mixed with a little continuing amusement at their eccentricity. I notice one woman sneaked into the book!
April 2, 2019
Here's a review I wrote for the West Midland Bird Club website in 2003 (lightly edited for tense and context):
In 2002 , a book, clearly aimed at the Christmas market, aroused much interest in the Sunday Supplements. That was Gordon Thorburn's "Men and Sheds", detailing the odd yet creative things some men do in their out-buildings; and this volume is its new companion. It introduces 40 birders, each with a potted biography, a black and white portrait (mostly by Robin Chittenden), and a picture of their favourite bird from the British list, with their reason for choosing it. Each birder recounts one or two amusing bird-related anecdotes, in an average of about 150 words, and that's it. And it's really a lot of fun.
Some of the anecdotes may be familiar, but many are fresh, and all worth retelling. It's the sort of book one can dip in to at random, and so would make an ideal gift, say, for a birder about to go into hospital — though not if it hurts when they laugh! There isn't one which fails to either amuse, or illustrate the ridiculous side of the hobby which unites them (and us), or both. Most are so bizarre, they couldn't possibly be made up.
It would be interesting to know the selection criteria for the birders featured (besides being male, of course — no female "blokes" are featured). The successful candidates include an assortment of twitchers, conservationists, sound recorders (including a former punk musician!) and film makers, artists, writers, entrepreneurs and tour guides, of varying familiarity. Many of them have spoken at West Midland Bird Club meetings, and sufficient omissions can be remembered that a sequel should already be in the pipeline.
The brief foreword is by West Midland Bird Club president, Bill Oddie. Tim Appleton (co-founder of the British Bird Fair; p16) and Tony Marr (tour guide; p60) both offer anecdotes about Bill, who also lurks in the background of the picture of Stephen Moss, the author and Bill's televisual producer and collaborator on several projects.
The book is a 96 page hardback, roughly the size of a regular paperback (148×177 mm / 6×7 in), but in landscape format, and is good value at the bargain price of £6.99. It has 90 black and white photographs and 7,000 words. Suffice to say, New Holland catalogue it under "Humour", not "Natural History".
In 2002 , a book, clearly aimed at the Christmas market, aroused much interest in the Sunday Supplements. That was Gordon Thorburn's "Men and Sheds", detailing the odd yet creative things some men do in their out-buildings; and this volume is its new companion. It introduces 40 birders, each with a potted biography, a black and white portrait (mostly by Robin Chittenden), and a picture of their favourite bird from the British list, with their reason for choosing it. Each birder recounts one or two amusing bird-related anecdotes, in an average of about 150 words, and that's it. And it's really a lot of fun.
Some of the anecdotes may be familiar, but many are fresh, and all worth retelling. It's the sort of book one can dip in to at random, and so would make an ideal gift, say, for a birder about to go into hospital — though not if it hurts when they laugh! There isn't one which fails to either amuse, or illustrate the ridiculous side of the hobby which unites them (and us), or both. Most are so bizarre, they couldn't possibly be made up.
It would be interesting to know the selection criteria for the birders featured (besides being male, of course — no female "blokes" are featured). The successful candidates include an assortment of twitchers, conservationists, sound recorders (including a former punk musician!) and film makers, artists, writers, entrepreneurs and tour guides, of varying familiarity. Many of them have spoken at West Midland Bird Club meetings, and sufficient omissions can be remembered that a sequel should already be in the pipeline.
The brief foreword is by West Midland Bird Club president, Bill Oddie. Tim Appleton (co-founder of the British Bird Fair; p16) and Tony Marr (tour guide; p60) both offer anecdotes about Bill, who also lurks in the background of the picture of Stephen Moss, the author and Bill's televisual producer and collaborator on several projects.
The book is a 96 page hardback, roughly the size of a regular paperback (148×177 mm / 6×7 in), but in landscape format, and is good value at the bargain price of £6.99. It has 90 black and white photographs and 7,000 words. Suffice to say, New Holland catalogue it under "Humour", not "Natural History".
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews