Birders and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
Price: £3.15

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Birders
 
 
Pre-order Birders for your Kindle today.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Birders [Paperback]

Mark Cocker
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £6.38 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.61 (29%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.
Only 2 left in stock--order soon.

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £6.44  
Hardcover --  
Paperback £6.38  

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with While Flocks Last £6.38

Birders + While Flocks Last
Price For Both: £12.76

Show availability and delivery details

  • This item: Birders

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • While Flocks Last

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions



Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; New edition edition (5 Sep 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0099289547
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099289548
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.7 x 20.1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 62,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Cocker
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Visit Amazon's Mark Cocker Page

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

In Birders--Tales of a Tribe author and environmentalist Mark Crocker looks back at a lifetime's obsession with "birding"; the strange places that his fascination for ornithology has taken him, and the even stranger network of friends, acquaintances and enemies who share his passion, and make up Britain's birding "tribe". This is not a guide to birdwatching, although novices will find plenty of tantalising information, and inspiration, in Crocker's ramble through nearly 30 years of feathered fanaticism. Instead it is an attempt by a man who is part of it, to understand the "tribe"--the disparate band of fellow devotees who will slog the length and breadth of Britain for the chance to spot a rarity. Crocker is interested in recording the customs, the folklore, the language and most importantly the rules of what amounts to a secret society.

Rule No.1 is no "stringing", or claiming to have spotted birds that you haven't. Birders tells its own dark and labyrinthine tale of an alleged cheat who was eventually hounded out of the hobby--suffice to say, there's a level of duplicity and intrigue surrounding this business of birdwatching that will bewilder outsiders.

Hadn't he said he'd taken the photos from the car? Could it be that such a bird would allow this movement around it? [the photo] almost looked as if it were part of a professional shoot with a... the words lingered in the air, then finally slipped out--with a MODEL!

If you've never driven through the night on the off chance of spotting a Blyth's Reed Warbler, you may struggle to suppress the urge to decry birders as a bunch of weird obsessives--whose status within the group is based on familiarity with the minutiae of an inconsequential hobby--but it's worth the effort. This is an intriguing, entertaining read, with a surprisingly poignant conclusion, that succeeds in its aim to record evidence of a largely hidden world. --Alex Hankin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

'At last! An up-to-date examination of what makes birders tick. And about time too! Wonderfully written' Bill Oddie; 'With a mixture of well-chosen anecdotes and self-deprecating humour, Cocker succeeds in making even the most hardened cynic appreciate his passion. Birders is a stylish work in a long tradition of fine writing on the subject' Guardian

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Birders - fun and factual, 11 Sep 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: Birders (Paperback)
A book which converted me from apathy to enthusiasm, written in a deceptively relaxed style, it brought smiles, even tears, but best of all a delight in birds which has given me a great deal of pleasure. I have re-read it several times and still enjoy it.

ISBN 0099289547 Birders : Mark Cocker

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A twitchers' fables for armchair moments, 7 Oct 2001
This review is from: Birders (Hardcover)
This book will sell thousands of copies because apart from dear Bill nobody has actually written much about birding and bird watchers in book form. Much of the material revolves around Cockers' friends and aquantances as well as his own experiences and travels. The writing is beautiful however and captures the books point with its style - that birding is a spiritual and a deeply personal activity. Yes there are friends, clubs, trips, equipment but in the end it comes down to moments composed of "you, the bird and the light".

More of the same please from more of us - thank you Mr Cocker.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


5.0 out of 5 stars Favourite birding book., 24 Oct 2011
By 
anne-lise Dickie "Cladach C" (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Birders (Paperback)
I love all of Bill Oddie's very funny bird books and DIM Wallace's Beguiled by Birds is just so great....but Mark Cocker's book is so good it's easily my favourite....read it, I'm sure you'll find it a very interesting experience whether you like it or not.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews



Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges