Even the baddest birdwatcher in the world knows something about birds. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be an anoraked twitcher with top-of-the-range binoculars to have a good time admiring our often-neglected feathered friends in the sky. In this revolutionary approach to ornithology self-confessed bad birdwatcher Simon Barnes gives us the confidence and motivation to get pleasure from one of the simplest, cheapest hobbies there are: watching birds...without letting birdwatching get in the way.

2008-07-16 A good read but a bit too gushing

I enjoyed reading this book and agreed with virtually everthing in it, but the author's uber-enthusiasm for his subject (which I share) did occasionally grate. He establishs in the first few pages that he really likes birds, but then restates this on every other page, occasionally deviating to say that he really, really likes them; or that's how it feels in any case.

The problem is that Simon Barnes is a journalist, and journalists feel they have to give readers their money's worth with every sentence. A longer, less gushing book would have been better, with more information about the birds themselves. Also, who is the author trying to kid? He is clearly not a 'bad' birdwatcher but a good and experienced one.

Having said this, for someone starting out as a birdwatcher, or thinking about starting, this book will provide real impetus and explains very well why the hobby is worthwhile. An even better book with a similar theme is Mark Cocker's 'Birders; tales of a tribe'. If you are going to buy one of these books buy that one, if only because Cocker deserves our ever-lasting gratitude for writing 'Birds Britannica'.