It would still be possible to be offended by some parts of this book as rare birds are, one could say, objectified as mere numbers to be added to the author’s list, and the carbon emissions from chasing around these isles are pretty high and yes, there are some comments on some (unnamed) womens’ appearance. She was evidently so appalled by the content and tone of some of the text that she put out a tweet (since deleted) highlighting extracts which included words such as 'knockers' and 'boobies'.

Also there is the problem of disturbance of rare birds often with twitchers in there hundreds at least. Because this author is very open about sharing his thoughts and feelings, and a lot of details, you might get more of a handle on the ‘why?I’ve a friend who happened to be behind a steering wheel at the wrong place and time which was when a wee boy decided to dash across the road. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it. He is clearly something of an obsessive, and his other past hobbies have included plane spotting and stamp collecting. I'm a 55 year old accountant who lives in Southwater, West Sussex with my wife Kim, daughter Georgie and our pets Barney, Pepper, Midge and Poppy. Just before Christmas, Garry Bagnell published Twitching by numbers: Twenty-four years of chasing rare birds around Britain and Ireland.

Credit it to GB also, for his determination and enterprise in publishing the title at his own risk without the comfort of an advance payment or the prospect of royalties from an established publishing house. Found this blog from the year Leighton had a big anniversary year And this blog shows how you had to apply for permits. There are stories of sticks being thrown at bushes so birds would be flushed out to get a better look at them, and exhausted, agitated birds flying from bush to bush until they were nabbed by a sparrowhawk. Luckily at Leighton Moss no charge for permits for members, but member had for admission at lots of reserves.How refreshing, therefore, to come across Twitching By Numbers - a birder's account of his hectic life as he chases rare species across Britain and Ireland.