A Tiger in the Sand: Selected Writings on Nature by Mark Cocker  (1)  £7.00

Crow Country by Mark Cocker  (4)  £11.89

The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane  (12)  £9.49

Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe by Lars Svensson  (32)  £11.21

Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin  (8)  £12.00

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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

Synopsis
Since 1972 Mark Cocker has been a member of a community of obsessional people, almost all male, who sacrifice most of their spare time, a good deal of money, sometimes their chances of a partner or family, even occasionally their lives, for birds, Birders is the story of this community, of its characters, its rules, its equipment (only a certain type of notebook will do) and its adventures - often hilariously funny, Birders is also a work of love - the story of what birds can do to the human heart.

2 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   8 of 10 people found the following review helpful: A twitchers' fables for armchair moments, 7 Oct 2001 By  thenewcrossleys@aol.com (London) - See all my reviews 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.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   1 of 5 people found the following review helpful: Captures very little of the magic of birding, 8 Dec 2002 By  Richard Laven (Dumfries Scotland) - See all my reviews I love bird-watching and have spent many happy hours around the world behind a pair of binoculars but this book captures very little of the joy I get from watching birds. Yes it's occasionally funny and occasionally well written but most of the time it consists of little more than the birder equivalent of name dropping. I came away with a strong feeling that birding is a clique of people who feel that they are the only people who know what real birding is.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 2 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews