Behind the binoculars

The variety of personalities interviewed in this book demonstrates nicely that there are many different kinds of birdwatcher, each engaging with our birds in a different way – and so there’s bound to be something that chimes with anyone reading it.  I was fascinated by what initially sparked each person’s interest in birds and lit a fire that lasted a lifetime – it seemed to me that in all cases they were young and, like us all at that age, had very dry tinder!  I did find myself skimming through all of the questions around optics, and worried all the references to other birders made it feel like it’s a closed group which, of course, it isn’t – being a free joy that is open to us all.

Book reviewed by Debbie Todd