Overview

This is the story of a birding odyssey, following the authors' quest to smash the world record for the number of species seen in one calendar year. Most people dream of packing in their humdrum city life, selling up and heading off into the unknown for a life of adventure. For Ruth Miller and Alan Davies this dream became a reality, albeit with a twist; they decided to pack in their jobs, sell their house and take on the ultimate birder's challenge. This book is the story of their great expedition, searching for birds from Ecuador to Ethiopia via Argentina, Australia and Arizona. We follow this birding odyssey as they ratchet up the species and the stamps in their passports, sharing in amazing birding experiences such as monkey-hunting Harpy Eagles in the Brazilian rain forest, seedsnipes in the Peruvian highlands and lekking bustards in South Africa, all leading to the ultimate question - will they break the magic 4,000? Written in an accessible style, this book will be of great interest to birders, readers of travel literature, and to people who simply enjoy a good adventure!

Full Product Details

Author:   Alan Davies ,  Ruth Miller
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Helm
Edition:   2nd edition
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9781472918604

ISBN 10:   1472918606
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   18 December 2014
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Kenn Kaufman Introduction Prologue: 1 January, 4am, Arizona Part One: New year, new world 1-3 January, Arizona, USA 4-11 January, Mexico 11-12 January, Houston, USA 12-27 January, Ecuador Part Two: African adventure 29 January-1 February, North Wales 2-26 February, Ethiopia 26-27 February, Kenya 27 February-16 March, Ghana Part Three: European springtime 17-18 March, UK 19-25 March, Cyprus 26 March-12 April, Spain Part Four: Back across the pond 13-16 April, Texas: Part One 17-21 April, Panama 22-24 April, Texas: Part Two 25 April-1 May, California 1-6 May, Canada 7-11 May, Cape May, USA Part Five: Europe High and Low 12-14 May, North Wales 15-28 May, Cyprus and Turkey 30 May-12 June, Finland, Estonia and Norway Part Six: Latin reprise 14-30 June, Brazil: Part One 1-7 July, Argentina 9-14 July, Brazil: Part Two 15 July-10 August, Peru 12-25 August, UK: Bird Fair and the Bank Part Seven: Back to Africa 26 August-10 September, South Africa: Part One 11-29 September, Zambia and Malawi 29 September-4 October, South Africa: Part Two 5-7 October, Namibia Part Eight: End game 9 October-6 November, Australia 8-13 November, Malaysia 14 November-17 December, India 21-31 December, Southern Ecuador Epilogue: Life after The Biggest Twitch

Reviews

There are casual birdwatchers and there are twitchers who'll fly halfway around the world to spot a cactus wren. Davies and Miller are the latter...entertaining anecdotes with real honesty...even non-bird-buffs may be inspired to get out the binoculars. * Wanderlust * ...will make you dream of the destinations and the birds they saw. * Birdwatch * ...a great read. * Real Travel * It is the ideal companion for anyone setting off on a long plane or train journey. * Sunday Express * ...a fast-paced and enthralling read for birders everywhere. * Birding World * Birders and eco-tourists will enjoy this book! * Birdbooker report website *

Author Information

Ruth Miller and Alan Davies are self-confessed birding obsessives from North Wales. Alan is currently warden of the RSPB reserve at Conwy. Ruth is a marketing consultant, and former Head of Trading for the RSPB. They dedicated one year of their lives to beating the birder's world record and smashing the seemingly impossible target of 4,000 species in a single calendar year.

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