Birdwatchingwatching: One Year, Two Men, Three Rules, Ten Thousand Birds

by Alex Horne

Alex Horne is not a birdwatcher. But his dad is, so with the prospect of fatherhood looming on his own horizon, Alex decided there was no better time to really get to know both his father and his father's favourite hobby. So he challenged his dad to a Big from 1 January to 31 December they would each try to spot as many birds as possible; the one who spied the most species would be the victor. Along the way Alex would find out what makes his dad tick, pick up a bit of fatherly wisdom and perhaps even 'get into' birdwatching himself.Join Alex as he journeys from Barnes to Bahrain in this charming tale of obsession, manliness, fathers and sons, and the highly amusing twists and turns of a year-long bird race.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comedy, Birds, Biography, Humor, Nature, Memoir

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 29, 2009

About the author

Alex Horne (born 10 September 1978) is a British comedian. He is the host of "The Horne Section", a live music variety show which has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Horne was educated at Lancing College (Fields House, 1991–1996) and the University of Cambridge, where he was a member of Footlights.
He made his first appearance at the Edinburgh festival in 2000 with his show, "How To Avoid Huge Ships". His 2003 Edinburgh show, "Making Fish Laugh" was nominated for a Perrier newcomer award. In 2004 he won a Chortle Award for Best Breakthrough Act. His shows with Tim Key have been "Every Body Talks" and "When In Rome", both of which featured unusually extensive use of Microsoft PowerPoint for a comic act. Horne toured Roman towns of the UK with the "When In Rome" show in early 2006.
More recently he has worked alongside fellow comedian Owen Powell, in the attempt to find a person from every nationality living in London. After a year's search, they finally managed to meet people from 189 of the UN's 192 countries whilst satisfactorily proving that there is nobody in the capital from Tuvalu, Palau or the Marshall Islands.
As a solo performer, Horne then wrote and performed "Birdwatching" at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival and "Wordwatching" at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival. He has signed a two-book deal with Virgin Publishing to write up both of these stories as books. The first, entitled Birdwatchingwatching, came out early in 2009. The second came out in early 2010.
On January 18, 2007, Horne became the first ever comedian to perform in Second Life for a feature on Sky News.
As of April 2010, Horne is attempting to become the oldest man in the world with the Long Live Alex project.
In 2011 he compered "The Horne Section", a comedy variety show with live music which was later broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Reviews

[Maryna Ponomaryova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Одна надзвичайно приємна книжечка трапилась зі мною цього тижня, і навряд трапиться з вами, бо ви ж не проводили весь січень закохуючись в Алекса Горна і не готові читати в оригіналі товстезну книгу, яка чи не на кожній сторінці має з десяток різних назв птахів, які треба через крок гуглити. Тому розкажу. Британський комік Алекс Горн одружився, і природно почав думати, чи радше панікувати, у напрямок батьківства. Він думав про власного батька, і про те, що означає бути батьком і чоловіком, і чи вийде в нього, такого не дуже чоловічного чоловіка, трохи кумедного, трохи оквордного, дуже британського, стати гарним батьком. І подумав він спілкуватися частіше із власним батьком і перейняти ті загадкові навички батькування. А батько його був запеклим бьордвотчером... птахоглядом? птаходивом? птахоспоглядачем?, короче полюбляв дивитися на птахів. І ось так, у спробі зрозуміти батька, віднайти у собі маскулінність й подорослішати, Алекс починає дивитися на птахів (всі б робили такі висновки). І не просто, а, як типовий Алекс, робить з цього гру. Тату, у нас рік і ми закладемо парі, хто побачить більше різних видів пташок: вони мають бути живі, жити на свободі, і ми їх маємо побачити на власні очі. Поїхали? Тут трохи занадто футболу як на страждаючого через свою немаскулінність Алекса (хоча його паралелі між ейфорією футболу і бьордвотчингу це щось настільки геніальне, що навіть не дратуєшся), але все решту, як на мене, ідеально. Це той перший Роман про Я, в який автор напихує себе, але який при цьому архі цікаво читати, потихеньку смакувати, і задумуватися над тим, що я роблю у свої 27, тоді коли Алекс у свої 27 сидить у засідці в кущах під дощем о 4 ранку сподіваючись побачити якусь рідкісну пташку. І хоча ця книга дуже повільна і дуже детальна і дуже британська, ти переживаєш за те чи Алекс виграє челендж, чи налагодить втрачений зв’язок з батьком, і чи стане гідним батьком сам. Всі три пункти мають статися завдяки дятлам, чижам, повзикам, дроздам, лебедям, совам, і ще бозна-яким крилатим істотам. Ще (звісно) можна пограти в завбачливо підготовлений Алексом евфемізм птахо-бінго і звіритись зі списком в кінці книги (синички-tits назавжди в наших серцях) разом з усякою статистикою і списками і каламбурами, які вельми tickle-тимуть ваші fancy, щиро вшокуватися від масштабів і спеціалізованості бьордвотчінґу як хоббі й спорту, ну й поумілятися різним дотепам, які можуть видавати лише британські коміки (яких я люблю чи не більше ніж будь-яку іншу категорію людей). А ще тут стільки людяності, що серце топиться чи не на кожній новій нагугленій прекрасній пташці, чи не з кожним новим бьордвотчером, який бере Алекса під крилечко, чи не з кожним дзвінком до батька, який починається з “Я побачив...!”. Після цієї книги посміхаєшся кожній пташці на вулиці, і дуже хочеться купити бінокль.

Кілька цитаток:

‘I’m a novice birdwatcher, and also a comedian,’ – and then I thought I should do a little joke to justify the claim – ‘would anyone like to take me under their wing!!!’

A pattern was already emerging among the birdwatchers I’d met that year: calm, patient, rugged, practical, healthy and erudite; all qualities befitting a good dad. They were also all male, another useful quality for fatherhood.

Birdwatching is essentially an enormous game of hide and seek, in which you do the hiding and the seeking and the birds have no idea they’re involved in a game.

[collecting football cards] is about a small but happy community sharing this intimate, beloved, pointless knowledge. It’s like birdwatching.

He and his birdwatching friends even had their own unique birdwatching system called a ‘Dream List’. ‘If you dream you see a bird that bird counts for your list,’ he told us with a shy, self-deprecating smile.

I still believed that being able to birdwatch helped you be a good dad, but I also saw that being a good dad did not help you to be able to birdwatch.


… watching whitethroats and blackcaps (both of which are sensibel, accurate names for birds, as well as being suitable for pirates with similar attributes)...

It’s a merlin (Footnote: A highly unusual example of a bird’s name also being a wizard)

I told anyone who cared to listen that there were about 10,000 species of birds in the world, one for every day I’d been alive. Imagine seeing a different species of bird every day of your life!

When I caught the eye of the Italian father of the house, watching me, watching a robin, watching me, watching the worms, watching the robin, watching me, watching the Italian father of the house, it was a peculiar moment. I nodded seriously as if this was a normal but important everyday activity. He nodded back, admirably masking shock or dismay. I continued with my experiment for another hour without success. Even if he’d stayed watching, my neighbour wouldn’t have seen me with a bird in the hand. He must have thought I just fancied sitting outside for the morning with a handful of worms. He may have thought I was airing them, or even showing them off. I couldn’t face trying to explain myself.

‘It’s a stupid hobby really,’ he said within the first hour. ‘You spend a lot of time standing still and looking at bushes!’).

The whole business of interaction, whether it be looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand or delivering a baby, I just find difficult.

The audience was almost totally made up of stags and hens, both groups as raucous as each other. Not for the first time I wondered why the male equivalents of a hen party weren’t called cocks.

Bluffing, it seems, is one of the secrets of good fatherhood.

It was like that childish game in which you pretend to be looking up at something in order to try to make other people look too, so you can then think, ‘Ha! I fooled you and now you’re looking up at nothing!’ (That’s pretty much how birdwatching seemed to me for twenty years.)

«I asked him for his birding highlights of the year. ‘Just the birds that stir the soul basically,’ he said casually. That sentence, uttered by Duncton without forethought, answered all my questions. That is why my dad watches birds, often for hours at a time.»

[Michela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book indirectly via Taskmaster. If you like Alex’s bits on the show you’ll probably like this book. I also read his other book, Word watching, and even though it was published after this one, I recommend reading it first. There are kind of reverse Easter eggs if you do.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Alex Horne, but I don't know much about birds. Now I know a bit more about both, and it was an enjoyable education. Reading it now, it's also a delightful early-internet period piece (slow-paced birdwatching forums! SMS updates for football scores! Background concern about a bird flu pandemic!)

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe how invested I’ve become in birds, bits of Roman pottery, and men named David. Utterly charming.

[Alethea · Rating 5 out of 5]

If half stars were an option, this would get 4.5, because I can't say it was life-changing. I don't think it belongs in the pantheon of great literature, but I loved it. It was the perfect reading for me at this moment. Everyday the world seems to be more troubled and depressing and unpredictable than the day before. This light, funny and occasionally moving book, which is all about curiosity, the joy of family and the little joys the natural world has to offer, is the perfect antidote for that anxiety.

If you find yourself falling down an Alex Horne-based rabbit hole as I have recently, I highly recommend reading this book after Wordwatching. That way you get to enjoy all the little Easter eggs hidden throughout this book that would be easy to overlook without any context.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are at all familiar with Alex Horne you can tell his voice comes through very clearly in this. Because of that the subject matter wasn't that important to me, it was just a nice way to spend a few hours in his company.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mild-mannered son challenges mild-mannered dad to a birdwatching competition for one year. Pleasant and heartfelt, if somewhat slow-moving. The author is British, so I had trouble understanding some of the references, though that's not his fault. For example, he explains that picking out his first binoculars is like picking out his first cricket bat. I mean, I guess! Anyway, this was a nice change from my usual reading material (nonfiction about Oxy addiction and ax murders, fiction about exorcisms and ritual disembowelments, Suetonius).

[granolabars · Rating 4 out of 5]

It made me want to look at birds !!

[Siobhan Moriarty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a great fan of Alex Horne's Taskmaster and also married to a bird watcher, so this book had my name on it. I enjoyed it but found it a little slow and a little repetitive. The book is essentially a diary of his Big Year (which in birdwatching terms is a year you decide to see as many birds as you possibly can) during which Alex and his Dad competed to see who would see the most birds. His Dad is a birdwatcher and Alex a complete novice. The relationship between Alex and his Dad, Duncton, was very real and very touching throughout the book. Alex's absolute lack of knowledge at the start of the year regarding any birds was hilarious - even the most common garden birds. I found this a little hard to believe as I know from personal experience of living with a bird watcher that you learn by osmosis! All our daughters know the common garden birds and more! But his dedication to learn and follow in his father's footsteps was entertaining. Probably a niche book but I enjoyed it.

[Ryan Egbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, there goes my first foray into birdwatching books and I was so very happy to share it with Little Alex Horne™️. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it did have a lot of information on British birds and where to find them.

This book started really well. LAH starts by drawing a comparison between birdwatching and all sorts of things: obsessive behavior, soccer, parenthood, and many more. LAH has such a great wit and frames things in a way that are both outrageous and lovable. He uses relatable language to describe the imposter syndrome that accompanies getting into something brand new.

The book also ends really well. His “Big Year” is written in such a way as to show the changes that he went through over the course of 12 months and 250 birds. He spends a good chunk of the last few chapters slowly piecing together a story of him when he was 8, which sounds awfully boring, but ended up being my favorite part of the entire book.

Several chapters in the middle, however, are a tad slow. It’s a loooot of details on various birding excursions and the personalities that LAH met along the way. He is clever and funny and it’s never a bore to read, but the thread of relating the birdwatching to things like becoming a better dad get lost a bit on a trip to Bahrain and encountering multiple different Davids.

> Bluffing, it seems, is one of the secrets of good fatherhood. From the kestrels of my youth to the Cetti’s warbler that afternoon, Duncton had always appeared omniscient. If I wanted to know anything – about birds, illnesses, anything – I would call him and he would tell me. But here, for perhaps the first time, he’d been caught out. He hadn’t known what a severals was, he told me, but he hadn’t thought it mattered. A couple of minutes later we found the owl and he was proved right; it hadn’t mattered. So to be a dad you don’t need to know everything. It just helps to look like you do.

However the majority of the book is such great writing and contains a lot of pearls masked in the brain clutter of a stand up comic.

> As soon as I arrived at the now familiar closed door, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, that dreaded feeling of embarrassment when you know you’ve been a complete prat and that someone now thinks you’re a prat and they’re absolutely right to think you’re a prat.

> As for the bird itself, for me it was a perfect example of something that looks to an outsider like nothing much at all, but which means absolutely everything to the enthusiast. It was the apparent anticlimax that marks all proper hobbies. It was a penny black, an expensive bottle of wine, a scrappy scoreless draw away from home.

It was not a book for learning more about birds themselves and perhaps I came away from it a little overwhelmed just by _reading_ about someone else’s big year (250 in one year seems nutso) but I honestly loved getting deeper into this silly little hobby.

I just need to be sure I follow the most important bit of advice offered: **don’t be a dude**.

4.2/5

[Susanna (luensiisolen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Alex Horne, I love birds (even though I don't really know much about them) and I loved this book. Charming and fun.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself liking this book, and I'm not entirely sure whether that is because it was well-written, or I just agreed with the author. I was one of those people who took notice of what was in the garden during lockdown, and it seemed Horne was in the same group of people who like seeing brightly-coloured or unusual birds, but not distinguishing between various buff and brown ones.

The premise was to see more birds over the course of a year than his retired father, a keen birder, which saw him go out early at weekends to London birdwatching haunts and other reserves near comedy gigs. He was fairly sympathetic towards other birders so he didn't exploit them for comedy, and he was generally the butt of the joke for his inexperience instead - the best humour came from these bits.

Not all of the humour worked for me, and the quirky comments on bird names got pretty wearing. It's strange in that I didn't mind his book based entirely on words, but the meta footnotes and general wordplay seemed to get in the way of the writing, rather than add to it - and in common with similar books, the early assault of levity is spread more thinly later in the book, presumably because early enthusiasm for the project has given way to just reaching the word count (and there are only so many different bird feeder names to find on Google). I really hope the Bill Oddie search was also intended as a joke, otherwise the project went from a touch sad to fairly tragic, and there was more entertainment from the actual birdwatching.

However, the uninspiring early search in Brent managed to convey the mild boredom and frustration quite well, along with the excitement of a safari in Africa (where the American tourists were played for laughs) and a fish out of water trip to Bahrain. There were also digressions and trivia which stopped the book getting too repetitive, and fundamentally it resonated with me - I am really into football and couldn't spend a holiday looking for birds either, so the mild interest but lack of real passion seemed entirely understandable.

Perhaps it's the sort of project that would have already become a thing on social media now, but the humorous self-indulgent comedy book seems to have been cast aside in favour of memoirs with a general theme linked to mental health. Reading this made me want to come across more of the former, even if the idiosyncratic elements perhaps explain why the safer books are preferred now.

[Jessica Sacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was one I would enjoy without particularly wanting to recommend, because it covered a quite specific need I had - for a very light, safe, enjoyable read at a rate of about four pages a week over a particularly stressful several months. It suited that need perfectly - a warm crumpet or shortbread biscuit of a book, rather than a staggering chocolate cake; sweet and soothing without any risk that you'll find yourself eating the whole thing by an open fridge at 3am.

Like most of us I'm sure I came to it as a fan of Alex Horne rather than of birdwatching. So the story that spoke to me was probably the one he wasn't meaning to tell. Something I find surprising about British comedy in general is just how much of it still centres around class. It seems to pretend that nothing's changed since 1952 and there's a lot of reverse snobbery and reverse-reverse snobbery. Alex Horne never gets involved in that. So here, without either boasting or hiding, he quietly tells us about a childhood that could properly be called - well, I'm not going to write 'privileged,' because that suggests there's something wrong with it. A childhood with enough space and means and parental time and love and peace of mind to nurture each child's interests and skills in the optimal way. As a parent, it made me feel part wistful, part inspired.

So if the book starts off promising to be a gently teasing examination of a father's obsession what it really drew for me was a short straight line from a performer with the confidence to be both modest and successfully creative - back to a pair of excellent parents with the same. Perhaps in fact that was the book's intention, as Horne writes that the project began as some kind of preparation for fatherhood. Maybe I'll have a go at birdwatching after all.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, self-deprecating, informative, mildly sexist but-not-in-a-shitty-way-just-an-emotionally-stunted-posh-Brit-way-so-I'll-allow-it.
Same old Alex Horne.
My real rating is 2 or 3 stars, but I officially give it 5 because of my current obsession with all things taskmaster/little alex horne/ greg davies etc.

Even with said obsession this was a bit of a chore. A lot of reviews I read said if you were a fan of birdwatching OR the author, you'd like the book. I would have to change that OR to an AND and disagree. I've been a casual birdwatcher for years but reading lists of birds someone saw 15 years ago in a country you'll never visit with little to no description just didn't grab me. If there was just a bit more memoir and/or there was an audiobook read by the author I think I would appreciate it more. I love dry British humor, but LAH has his own very unique style of diction that really loses something on the page.

Again, it was written 15 years ago, so the memoir aspect was a bit underwhelming as this was pre-taskmaster and pre-horne section.
Having consumed just about every bit of content he's put out there, it was interesting to read a younger LAH's perspective and compare/contrast to his more current stuff.

This is an easy read (albeit 371 pages...) but regardless of your feelings towards this book, go watch taskmaster 😁

[Oscar Dent · Rating 3 out of 5]

A promising premise - an excellent comedian picks up (or returns to) a new hobby to bond with his father and learn life lessons before entering fatherhood himself.

The book focusses quite heavily on the bird aspect (understandably), but I was probably looking for a more even balance between the topics. The jokes were not bad but a little thin on the ground; time spent with his father was also rare, and mostly contained bird chat; and the rest of the book is birds, lots of birds. I would say that in tone the book is very wholesome and sweet, in a getting-back-to-nature manner, tied to a benign form of pointless but large scale adventure (see as many bird species as possible in a year). It makes one yearn for a life in which one had the free time to aim for these things (or to be a comedian with the day to yourself, or recently retired).

Having said all that, the book was enjoyable, but quite slow and long. Probably of far more interest to those who are already birdwatching converts.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be super honest. I couldn't give a shit about birds or birdwatching. The only reason I have read this book is that I'm currently obsessed with Alex Horne (otherwise known as the Taskmaster's Assistant and Creator of Taskmaster). Having said that, I wouldn't give a crap book a good review just because I'm all of a flutter for the author (see what I did there). I really enjoyed this book. I didn't think I would, I thought even Alex Horne can't make birdwatching exciting and do you know what, he doesn't. This book isn't actually about birdwatching it's about obsession and what drives them (the irony) and about family and relationships. It made me feel all soft and fuzzy and warm towards both Alex and Rachel (his poor wife - which I muttered more than once on reading this) but also about Alex's dad. I thought it was a great book and I look forward to reading his others.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a robin-stroker and Anglophile, so this book was bound to appeal heavily to me. That said, I think it would be a good read even if you aren’t into birds (Alex wasn’t at the start) because it’s not really about the birds. While birds feature heavily, it’s more about a young man trying to figure out what made his father such a good father and trying to capture that quality for himself as he contemplates fatherhood. It’s very touching, but with enough gently woven comedy to keep it from becoming too sentimental.

I would highly recommend it, especially this time of year when you can sit outside and catch a bit of birdsong or the flutter of movement in your periphery as you read. Really sets the mood.

[Haley Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comedian Alex Horne never considered himself a birder, even though his father was embroiled in the hobby. In 2006, he decided he and his dad would have a ‘competitive big year’, where they both were on the hunt to see as many bird species as possible. The book follows their adventures around the world to add to their list.

This book is meant for a very specific audience. Do you love British comedy and birds, well then this is the book for you.

I am an Alex Horne fan from my many years of watching Brititsh panel shows. It was a really fun, sweet read that is perfectly in Alex’s voice. This was the book that jump-started my own husband’s journey into the world of birdwatching, so I related to Alex’s wife, Rachel, a number of times.

[Katie LeMay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly my first non-book club book of the year? This book is for a very specific type of person. One that enjoys birding and Alex Horne. If you don't like birds and don't watch TaskMaster, you can probably pass on this one.

There were several good life lessons. One being that it's perfectly acceptable to be casual about a hobby. To enjoy it but not totally immerse yourself in it.

I am envious of Alex's journaling and the doodles he jots down. I've tried journaling several times before and dammit I'm going to try again but this time I'm going to allow myself to be more silly about it.

[Shuv Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this, could relate to it so much as someone who is a very amateur ‘birder’! And I enjoyed his style of writing, made me laugh out loud several times, which is rare for me. Also enjoyed the exploration of hobbies for retired folk, and how important & rewarding they can be.
If you are not remotely interested in birdwatching, this may not be for you, but for me, it was a great read.

[Hazel Dupont · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspired to go watch some birds and do my own Big Year.
As a book to read it was tough to get through. Quite dated, many sidenotes that add nothing to the story and unfortunately you lose trust in the Narrator after he says he regularly lies to the audience. Also lots of football references and clear privileges I try not to be envious of.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all, an enjoyable book if you’re into birds and British comedians. At times pedantic and belabored, and the footnotes were almost entirely unnecessary, which bogged the read down a bit. Fun to read as a novice birdwatcher myself.

[Fred Langridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right at the intersection of my interests, and lots of fun. Alex Horne investigates father-son relationships and the meaning of being a grown-up, through the medium of a year's competitive birdwatching against his dad.

[Simon Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different to my normal, but received it as a present thanks to my general liking for Alex Horne’s work. I found it pleasant and irreverent, lighthearted and enjoyable. It’s not world-changing, but despite having no interest in bird watching whatsoever, I found this an enjoyable read.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly what I expected. Less about the relationship between the author and his dad and more about the author's birdwatching individually. Too much football. Lots of British slang I had to look up and some even Google couldn't explain. Still, the bird parts were good.

[Emma Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impossible to read this book and not be tempted to join in with your own Big Year.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! Charming, heartwarming, informative.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever! Small lols throughout. Some terminology highly specific to British birding...

[Fathi Faruq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book even though the author is now famously known as Little Alex Horne- which definitely isn't a dad name.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love alex’s work, a bit slow moving but his humour shines through