This is a book about what it’s like being a birder in an age of natural decline. It is part autobiographical – tales of spell-binding birding encounters that left indelible memories – and it is part reflective. The travellers’ tales of birding adventures are about places and events that were variously entertaining, amusing, captivating, inspiring, exciting and awesome, literally. They also feature the amazing, eccentric, dedicated, inspiring people in the birding community. Travels to Madagascar, Cambodia, India and many other places are recalled. There is birding in the Himalayas, in the Australian outback, on the Southern Oceans and in hotel gardens and city parks and there are tales of the ‘big listers’, ‘big-lensers’, professional guides, and local conservation workers who try to keep their habitats safe for us. There are lots of images to accompany these stories.

Martin’s experiences in becoming a birder late in life revealed some strange behaviour which he soon learnt to take for granted as a member of the birding community. Why tear off chasing the next tick when we were having such a good time in the forest we were already exploring? Why was seeing a rare parrot in a cage less significant than seeing a ‘wild’ one that was being hand-fed in a nature reserve? Why was he visiting all those rubbish tips and sewerage farms in search of birds when birding excursions to a forest or a natural wetland were so much more pleasing?

There are chapters about all of these puzzles and oddities, and more – their origins and, in some cases, how they shape our behaviour in somewhat perverse ways – on ‘authentic’ birding, the origins and importance of the life list, on rarities and trophy birds, and why the idea of a ‘species’ is elusive yet so important. All these tales and reflections are shaped by birding during an extinction crisis and the growing biodiversity crisis. As he observed trashed habitats and vanishing bird populations during his travels, Martin’s growing dismay and alarm about these issues coloured everything. So he came to ponder what birders are doing in response, whether it is for good or harm.

There is the paradox of ‘extinction birding’ – it is not difficult today to see some vanishingly rare birds, because they are hanging on in reserved, fenced spaces, kept alive by artifices such as captive breeding. Because our visits to these places provide funds, we are also among these species’ last hopes for survival. Is this the best we can do? More self-reflection among all birders is necessary. Faced with the growing crisis, we can all do better.

Readership: this will be of great appeal to all birders and anyone with an interest in wildlife, conservation  and the natural world.

'...a thorough look at modern birding, told through a series of adventures'. Cool Green Science

'A much-needed antidote to the often self-aggrandizing genre of birding memoirs'. Cool Green Science

'This narrative will be relatable to many birders on many levels'.The BirdBooker Reporter

' A very personal view of birding in an astonishing range of locations all over the world... is a fascinating look at birds,birding and birders, and the text is accompanied by many photographs of birds rare and not-so-rare, and of people and places'. Newsletter of the Canberra Ornithologists group

'tells the stories very well of his visits to countries all over the world, and includes information on some of the countries' human residents and one or two of the mammals.... will appeal to anyone with an interest in birds, though it will be a must-read for the real birding enthusiasts'. The blog of Alan Stewart

' this is a good read if you are a birder or if you've ever chased after a rare bird anywhere in the world...dedicated world listers should get a copy of this book and read it on their next long-distance flight'. Mark Avery

'This book combines Travelogue and thought provoking commentary on motivations and attitudes concerned with birding on a worldwide scale. There are reflections on the current and accelerating loss of bioderversity and climate change. ...Along the way we also meet some interesting, dedicated and eccentric birders, including bird guids and conservationists working hard to save important habitats. We are also transported to some interesting and exotic locations...all in search of some of the rarest and most intersting birds on the planet. De Tha Dol

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