Birders: Tales of a Tribe [Paperback]

Mark Cocker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003

For thirty years, journalist Mark Cocker has been a member of a community of fanatics who sacrifice most of their spare time, a good deal of money, sometimes their chances of a partner or family, even their lives, to watch birds. In Birders, Cocker not only introduces lay-readers to the venerable art of birding but shares some of the incredible tales previously circulated only among "the loop," involving unforgettable -- and sometimes deadly -- encounters with everything from pipits, puffins, and plovers to border-patrol officers and horseback bandits. And then there is his personal journey, which began when he discovered a nest of pigeon eggs in his family attic and soon led to the fetishism of his binoculars (or rather, "bins").

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Cold, wet, cramped, exhausted, and having the time of his life, nature writer Mark Cocker finds deep satisfaction in bird watching. His book Birders: Tales of a Tribe combines elements of memoir, manifesto, and anthropological study in its examination of how and why these hobbyists go about their sometimes obsessive work. Cocker's writing is lively and compelling--even readers who'd rather stay warm and comfortable quickly find themselves longing for a quick glimpse of the Himalayan Satyr Tragopan. Following the adventures of the author, his acquaintances, and famous and infamous birders across the world, the book uncovers essential truths about human strengths and follies while sharing the rare pleasures of the close observer of nature. Watching birds is often seen as an eccentric hobby, but the value added to environmental monitoring and other scientific endeavors by these legions of amateur spotters is tremendous. What could have been a patronizing showpiece in the hands of a less sensitive writer becomes a rapturous celebration of quiet passions. --Rob Lightner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Cocker (Rivers of Blood, Rivers of Gold) presents a witty, entertaining look at the subculture, lifestyles, adventures, and misadventures of the consuming hobby of birding, as distinguished from the passive, idle pursuit of bird watching. His birders are bright, active, often quirky people who are aggressive, adventurous, and obsessive about their avocation. Written from a British perspective, yet worldwide in focus, Cocker's tales describe the birder's lust for achieving long lists of species seen as well as the never-ending search for rarities. He shows how birders are highly knowledgeable about geography, ecology, and botany, and in many respects their familiarity with birds often surpasses that of professional ornithologists. Top birding personalities are portrayed, sometimes ruthlessly. An appendix listing "useful information, addresses and organizations" is heavy on Old World loci. A delightful, well-informed read for all with a bent for listing in nature. Henry T. Armistead, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; First Edition edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802139965
• ISBN-13: 978-0802139962
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,411,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't capture the joy I get from birding, December 7, 2002

By 

Richard Laven (Dumfries Scotland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Birders: Tales of a Tribe (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars twitching personified, July 13, 2003

By 

Ian Stewart "call me pookie" (Lexington, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Birders: Tales of a Tribe (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book, partly because I am British birder in exile so it reminded me of home, but also because I could identify with many of the characters it describes.

At times I got the distinct impression that the author was writing it for himself rather than anyone else, and I mean that in a positive sense. Some of the tales are deeply personal and reflective, and yet never cloyingly nostalgic. The book recounts one man's obsession with birdwatching, but also his obsession with other birdwatchers : clearly great subject material due to various eccentricities. There are some very funny tales of long trips to see birds in Britain and abroad, some of the best ones of course being when it all goes horribly wrong. There are some very British characters and places in the book which non-UK folk may be slightly nonplussed by, but overall, I would recommend this book to them.

The chapters are distinct and so it's the kind of book you can dip into here and there, rather than one long narrative sequence.

It's a lot of fun, and some of the birds and scenes are so vividly described it made me want to book a flight there and then to see some of these thing. Maybe I will, one day......

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In pursuit of a life list, May 28, 2002

By 

"michaeleve" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birders: Tales of a Tribe (Hardcover)

I don't doubt that persons uninitiated in the brotherhood of birding and who may have may picked this book up out of curiosity, after reading it may very well be tempted to say "life-list? forget that! Please, get a life!". Cocker understands and he has all the traits of a serious birder instantly recognizable to other members of the species. We are just a little bit defensive at times, especially when having to explain our obsession. And yes, we may be a touch overly sensitive but we do tend to react negatively to those goggle-eyed, mouth-slightly-agape ostrich-like stares of total incomprehension that usually greet us when describing our wondrous hobby. Cocker though is a great advocate because he has an abundance of that vital birding necessity - a self-depreciating wit - and a sense of humour that prevents taking oneself or their sport too seriously. That his adventures and "Tales of a Tribe" about BIRDERS are very well written just adds to the enjoyment of this book.

Cocker is not a mere bird-watcher. Outside of the US the UK has more of his particular species of birder than most other countries. This is the serious afficionado who travels cross country and around the world in pursuit of rare birds, spends good sums of money on gear such as photographic equipment and state-of-the-art optics. A person who right after introducing himself - "Hi, I'm Michael" - will prove that he's probably beyond recovery by asking "how many birds have you gone?" Were I living in the UK like the author I would be tagged as something colloquially known as a "Twitcher".

Each birder has a story about a particular quest that is their most memorable trip but few can match experiences with the characters that Cocker introduces us to. There's Clive Byers, a bird artist, who in pursuit of a rare bird trespassed on a farm and for which the farmer rewarded him by hosing him with liquid manure. Unpleasant as that certainly was it was largely harmless. Cocker shows that it's not always so and there can be dangers involved. He's poignant in telling the tale of the disappearance of a friend while on the trail of a rare Asian pheasant. His own encounters seem to have been fairly benign, and as he does throughout the book, he finds the humor. On a trip to Spain in search of great bustards he would not be denied. Most of us would speed up and keep driving if "immense white guard dogs the size of wolves" grabbed and twisted the door handle of our car with their teeth and gave us the "impression that these were carnivores used to getting their food from a tin can, one the size of a moving Citroen ZX". Cocker is happy to report that the dogs eventually "left us to concentrate on our mission" and he recounts a richly rewarding sighting of over two dozen extremely rare great bustards.

This book offers many enjoyable anecdotes about exciting birding trips. Equally as interesting as the birds is Cocker's insights into the birders themselves. Cocker has as much to say about our eccentricities as he does about the behavior of birds. It's not always clear which is stranger but as Cocker shows it's always entertaining. Most enjoyable of all is the joie de vivre with which he writes which is really what the best birding experiences are all about anyway.