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A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion
- Narrated by: Simon Barnes
- Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins
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A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion
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Editor reviews
An obsessively maintained bird diary or field notes aren't necessary prerequisites for loving birds, as bird writer and humorist Simon Barnes proves in A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion. Gently and amusingly narrated by Barnes himself, this audiobook is an unpretentious and helpful guide for anybody who takes pleasure from simply gazing out the window at a beautiful bird. Offering simple identifying features of 50 common British birds alongside playful observations on bird character, the best feature of this audiobook is a recording of each of the birds' songs, giving listeners a chance to compare these calls to what they hear outside.
Summary
Simon Barnes is one of Britain's leading bird writers and humorists. His weekly column in The Times (London), his essays for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) magazine, and his two books on bad bird-watching have made him one of the characters of the bird world.
Here, he reads his own illuminating introductions to the 50 main birds of Britain, supported by the distinguishing bird song of each species. He not only gives helpful identifying features, but enriches them with whimsical observations on their characters and tendencies. It is a delightful text, superbly presented by the author himself.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- A. McArthur
- 10-11-17
Fantastic book!
Highly recommend, this is a great starter book for bird enthusiasts and it's one of the few books I'd recommend for the narration - when done (well) by authors, there's nothing better.
I've only just started the book, and this is the first time I've felt compelled to immediately write a review. It's engaging, not fatiguing on the ears (as so many audiobooks are I find) and actually a lovely listen (possibly because the author-narrator is himself a listener) and really inspires one to birdwatch!
It approaches the subject matter methodically yet poetically, and the valuable information about how to recognise birds by their appearance, song, habitat, and behaviour is delivered in such a way that it doesn't feel like instruction, and with a good enough narrative telling that the material is easy to recall (when you need it, in the field).
Highly recommend.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- james sheriff
- 02-05-19
brilliant
loved it. light hearted, funny and informative. well read and we'll pitched for a bad bird watcher
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Stevie
- 09-01-16
a fantastically encouraging book
As a person who has been recently engulfed by the wonder of birding I want to thank the author for an informative and enthusiastic glimpse into his birding world. This book is clear, full of easy to access tips and advice. A great listen, possibly when accompanied by a search engine for images or a quiet personal reflection on birds seen and the wealth of birds still to see with places to see them ,it widens your birding horizons.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ke Donn
- 26-07-20
very helpful
Great listen and one I will return to again. Im already hearing birds on a new level
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- alison
- 20-03-19
Helpful and entertaining
Really enjoyed listening to this and found it very informative, interesting and entertaining. The only thing - and this may be an ‘audible ‘ thing is that the chapters are numbered but not named and so if you want to go to a chapter on a particular bird you have to make a note of which number chapter it was in.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Andrew weaver
- 28-03-24
Great learning experience
Very good for a birder that wants to learn or sharpen skills! Highly recommended! (Word count minimum sucks audible)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Mariebee
- 30-10-18
Great book
Loved this book. Great for amateur bird watches. A relaxing listen. You won't be disappointed.
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4 people found this helpful
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- pjr
- 24-06-21
A must listen!
I really recommend this audiobook to bird novices and experts alike. An uplifting and informative read, so well written and full of word pictures!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jen
- 07-02-21
Very good synopsis of a wide selection of birds
Just starting out in birdwatching, bought a few guide books and binoculars and sitting out in garden/ park. Still a bit unsure with identifying and bird song. Thought I’d give this book a whirl and so glad I did. I feel like I’m in a lesson with a really helpful teacher who knows his stuff and explains things with good structure and not too over complicated. Now that I’ve finished will go back to beginning and start again. A must have companion to a guide book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- jo
- 14-01-13
I've learnt loads from this
Wasn't sure if it was worth getting this, even though I'm interested in birds, as I'm a/generally wanting a novel to listen to and b/ reasonably adept at recognising the 'most obvious birds'. But it is brilliant. I found it wonderful upon first listening and have come back to it repeatedly to re-listen. It's the only book I've kept on my MP3 player - for over a year now - so that I can reference it.
I can now recognise the call of a number of birds without laying my eyes on them. I can recognise the flight or behaviour patterns of some others, and know some interesting little facts about many more. I'm not sure how easy it'd be to follow if you didn't have a clue what the birds looked like in the first place. But Simon Barnes' delivery and gentle sense of humour combine to make his book very enjoyable to listen to, as well as very good to learn from.
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9 people found this helpful