Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book: A Must-Read Birding Guide to Surviving the Marsh and Finding Rare Species

by Bill Oddie

'Bird-watchers are tense, competitive, selfish, shifty, dishonest, distrusting, boorish, pedantic, unsentimental, arrogant and – above all – envious'. So says Bill Oddie, and he should know!

It's a tough environment out there on marsh and moorland, and this scurrilous little classic is a must for all devoted birders and twitchers (and as Bill relates, there is a mighty difference!). With years of hard-earned experience, Bill dares to say all the things that other b's and t's will recognize as true but which they have never dared to own up or admit to, even to themselves. Whether discussing the birds he's seen, the birds that got away, equipment, apparel, sightings, cock-ups, places to visit or people to avoid, Bill's enthusiasm is infectious, and his knowledge unsurpassed.

This little black book is one item that no serious birdwatcher can afford to leave out of the rucksack, and it will prove an essential companion when trudging the estuaries and riverbanks, in torrential rain and gusty gale in search of that elusive rare beauty.

Genres: Nonfiction, Birds, Nature, Humor, Animals, Wildlife, Comedy

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE was an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies. A birdwatcher since childhood, Oddie had established a reputation for himself as an ornithologist, conservationist and television presenter on wildlife issues. Some of his books are illustrated with his own paintings and drawings.

Oddie studied English Literature at Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge, where he appeared in several Cambridge University Footlights Club productions. One of these, a revue called A Clump of Plinths, was so successful at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe that it was renamed Cambridge Circus and transferred to the West End in London, then New Zealand and Broadway in September 1964. Meanwhile, still at Cambridge, Oddie wrote scripts for TV's That Was The Week That Was.

His first television appearance was in Bernard Braden's On The Braden Beat in 1964. Subsequently, he was a key member of the performers in the BBC radio series I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (ISIRTA; 1965), where many of his musical compositions were featured. Some were released on the album Distinctly Oddie (Polydor, 1967). He was possibly one of the first performers to parody a rock song, arranging the traditional Yorkshire folk song "On Ilkla Moor Baht'at" in the style of Joe Cocker's hit rendition of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" (released on John Peel's Dandelion Records in 1970 and featured in Peel's special box of most-treasured singles).

On television Oddie was co-writer and performer in the comedy series Twice a Fortnight with Graeme Garden, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Jonathan Lynn. Later, he was co-writer and performer in the comedy series Broaden Your Mind with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, for which Oddie became a cast member for the second series. Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden then co-wrote and appeared in their television comedy series The Goodies. The Goodies also released records, including "Father Christmas Do Not Touch Me"/"The In-Betweenies", "Funky Gibbon", and "Black Pudding Bertha", which were hit singles in 1974-75. They reformed, briefly, in 2005, for a successful 13-date tour of Australia. Oddie, Brooke-Taylor and Garden voiced characters on the 1983 animated children's programme Bananaman. He had occasionally appeared on the BBC Radio 4 panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, on which Garden and Brooke-Taylor are regular panellists.

Reviews

[Pauline Midwinter]

Of course it is 5*

Strong nostalgic feelings reading this again.

[Bigal-sa]

This is a superb little book for anyone that has been active in "competitive" birdwatching. I'm not sure whether he coined the terms, but I'm sure he was the first to put words like birder, twitcher, ticks and mega-ticks onto paper. Sentences like "...have an impressive sounding German name. There is a general fallacy that any good binoculars have a 'Z' in the name or possibly 'SCH', or even better both..." concerning binoculars (bins), are enough to get you rolling around on the floor as you recognise yourself and "friends"!


Even if you aren't into "birding", I'm sure you will be amused by Oddie's descriptions of the people, their equipment and the objects of their obsession.

[Victoria]

My copy of this is white, which I thought was a joke (cf. Monty Python's "Big Red Book"), but it also autographed, so I'm happy. Despite this being Oddie's first ornithology book, it's the last one I had left to read, so I knew what to expect from him. This volume is a rough guide to birdwatching full of humour but not devoid of serious points and truthful observations. I also love Bill's drawings.

[Leo]

Laugh-out-loud funny!

Impressively honest look at psychology, including the author's own. I'm amazed to see such frank discussion of human foibles.

Also a look at 1980s birding before the strict ethical rules we have now.

Funny and touching birding stories. My favourite is the one with the warden in the fog in chapter 9.

"The first name game" in chapter 6 is so cruel I can hardly bear to read it.

Must-read for anyone interested in not just birds but in birding itself.

[Spurnlad]

Excellent and humorous look at birding in the 70's/80's; an exciting time in British birding, before all they hype and all the massive increase in people involved.

Better days for us old-timey birders.

An added advantage is that I am on one of the photos; of the Forster's Tern at Falmouth

[Scott]

Well. As an American birder I find "An Avid Birder" or "The Verb: To Bird" are far superior and far funnier. It had its moments but I found it to be dated and odd.

[Sally]

Hailed as the first honest description of the birding word, and therefore both informative for the non-birder and funny. Bill's drawings add lots of charm.

I have the hardback.

[Karen]

Irritating content. I love birds but this is no recommendation for watching them

[Justin Russell]

A short and amusing book about birding. Helps you decide whether you are a birder, dude or twitcher....or may be none of them.

[Helen Hart]

Very enjoyable and entertaining read. Quite quaint now before www!

[AT]

Very entertaining read.

[Chickpea]

Great book! A birding classic!

[Brian Gormley]

3.8 out of 5. I’d asked my wife for Bill Bailey’s book on birdwatching and she couldn’t get it, so she got me this little gem instead! I remember reading it in the 1980s crying with laughter over some of the pieces. It’s dated now, obviously - for that reason I’ve dropped it from 5 stars. The days of queuing up at payphones to get news of rare birds are gone now, but the core aspects of twitching - the jealousies, competitiveness and general weirdness remain the same!

[Graham]

Bill Oddie is one of Britain's greatest wildlife stars. He's gone from being a TV comedy star in THE GOODIES to a presenter of the likes of SPRINGWATCH, all the while remaining visible and championing our feathered friends. His LITTLE BLACK BIRD BOOK is a cynical, tongue-in-cheek exploration of the subject of birdwatching, presented as a loose guide with plenty of humour along the way.

Those of us who know Oddie are aware of his bipolar condition, and as such this book comes across as a bit, well, wacky. It's zany and odd, startling at times and unique, full of crazy humour and bizarre anecdotes which you're never quite sure are real or not. I'm not sure how much use this is as an actual guide, but it certainly made me laugh a lot and virtually everything Oddie says is oh-so-true.

[Don]

At last I have read this minor classic! It is fun, well-observed - and makes some serious points. Recommended to any birder - or to anyone who wants to glean some understanding of what makes birders tick (pun intended).

[Felly]

Trying to birding for the first time? then this books really fit for you..all the pictures, writing is so fun enough so you so everyone can read it by heart..two thumbs up for Bill Odie..

[Eddie Chapman]

Surpisingly eye-opening in parts. Tongue in cheek thoughts shared by a unique voice. A brief but largely enjoyable read.

[Sarah]

Very funny, definitely worth picking up.

[Sirhana]

Scheming little guide, this book is.