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A Bird in the Bush: A Social History of Birdwatching Kindle Edition

by Stephen Moss (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 32 ratings
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This journey through the world of birdwatchers is “a wonderful book. . . . fascinating, often hilarious anecdotes and information” (Daily Mail, Critic’s Choice).

Scholarly, authoritative, and above all supremely readable, Stephen Moss’s book is the first to trace the fascinating history of how and why people have watched birds for pleasure, from the beginnings with Gilbert White in the eighteenth century through World War II POWs watching birds from inside their prison camp and all the way to today’s “twitchers” with their bleeping pagers, driving hundreds of miles for a rare bird.

“Proves that birdwatchers can be as instructive to watch as birds.” —Sunday Times

“Thoroughly researched and well-written.” —The Guardian

“Moss knows his subject intimately and writes about it with just the right mixture of affection and occasional quizzicality.” —Sunday Telegraph

“It would be difficult to imagine anyone producing a more comprehensive, thoughtful, intelligent and entertaining examination of how people have watched birds at each point in history. In fact, it is one of the few books which might prove such compulsive reading that even a dedicated twitcher might forgo a day in the field to stay at home to finish it.” —Birding World
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    452 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Aurum
  5. Publication date
    July 25, 2013
  6. File size
    1662 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DO972SM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aurum (July 25, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 25, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1662 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 452 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 32 ratings

About the author

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Stephen Moss

Stephen Moss

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I am one of Britain’s leading nature writers, broadcasters and wildlife television producers, specialising in birds and British wildlife. A lifelong naturalist, I am passionate about communicating the wonders of the natural world to the widest possible audience. I have written over 30 books, including Ten Birds that Changed the World (shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing), Mrs Moreau's Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names, Wild Kingdom, and 'bird biographies' of the Robin, Wren, Swallow, Swan and Owl. My TV credits include Springwatch, The Nature of Britain, Birding with Bill Oddie and Birds Britannia. I also teach an MA in Travel & Nature Writing at Bath Spa University.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
32 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Buck the One-Eyed Cat
5.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Social History
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
The Brits seem to be into social history. I also just finished The History of Birdwatching in 100 Objects, which dovetails neatly with A Bird in the Bush, and tells much the same story through a collection of objects with short essays about each one.

Birders will enjoy the book and find the parallels between the evolution of the American birding scene and the UK scene interesting. I was surprised at how similar the two groups are and how they continue to converge. The author does a fine job of describing the technological and social trends shaping the evolution of birding in the UK.
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allan martin
4.0 out of 5 stars On that level very interesting if you happen to like birdwatching
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2017
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Must be read as the title says ..a social history.... not entertainment. On that level very interesting if you happen to like birdwatching
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Top reviews from other countries

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Paulus
5.0 out of 5 stars Great information of Birding history.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book is well researched and full of fascinating facts, a real classic in the making, a must have book for anyone interested in the social History of Bird watching or birds in general .Brilliant!!!!
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WDP
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 3, 2017
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excellent
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2nimm
4.0 out of 5 stars livre de réflexion historico-sociologique intéressant mais mal illustré
Reviewed in France on February 16, 2012
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livre anglophone broché souple format poche (en papier recyclé) récent (2004) consacré à l'histoire de l'ornithologie; 17 chapitres d'un texte simple et intéressant très peu illustré (quelques photos n&b au centre de l'ouvrage); cet ouvrage de réflexions est à réserver aux ornithologues confirmés qui s'intéressent à l'histoire et la sociologie de leur "tribu"
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Julian Bielewicz
5.0 out of 5 stars A Book For HUmour in the Bush
Reviewed in Australia on July 4, 2015
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Well written, to the point but with appropriate humour spread throughout.
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Stewart M
4.0 out of 5 stars More than just a bird in the bush
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2009
Verified Purchase
The ground covered in this surprisingly entertaining book ranges from the first collectors (with a "if it moves we can kill it" type of approach) through to the technology rich experience of the modern twitcher. But this book covers so much more than just birdwatching.
The first half could be viewed as a study of changing attitudes to our relationship with the environment, viewed through the lens of birdwatching, with the changes in the way we studied birds either reflecting the view of nature or in some cases driving change. The second half of the book concentrates on the last 20 or so years, the rise of "twitching" and the impact of technology.
The changes that have occurred in our ability to watch birds are charted through changes in field guides, optics, transport, deposable income and eventually technology. A recurring theme in the book has been the change from the relative isolation of the early birders (not that the term existed at the time) to the more connected and fashionable pursuit of today. (Although I admit that "fashionable" may be over stating the case!) This is a really good book - and for those who have come to birding more recently it is an illuminating read as to the way things were.
I don't think it's really possible to have a good understanding of some of the debates that occur within the birding world without a decent grasp of the history of birding - and this book seems to give a balanced and readable account of that history.
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