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Birdwatching with Bubba

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Birdwatching with Bubba

"A humorous gonzo style of bird watchers guide to Belize" SAN PEDRO SUN

Bubba and I set out to write this book about birds almost 10 years ago. I was a school teacher in the United States at a local collage in Memphis, married and living in midtown near the campus. My wife and I didn't have children, and I thought a dog would be good for our waning relationship. Of course it wasn't, and I wound up with the dog. He did turn out to be a rather smart dog, and, of course, we are the best of friends. He seems to think I had a midlife crises. I tell myself I just got bored, and either way I ended up here, no wife and talking to a confused birddog that thinks ornithology is his calling.

I've made this book as a collection the stories we published in the local newspaper. The stories, 120 total, are printed here as they were published in our "Bird Of The Week" column for the SAN PEDRO SUN.

Belize is not a large country, about the size of Maine, but it has the most varied habitats within its borders you will ever find. These rich habitats support a variety of exotic avifauna that has not yet been accurately numbered. Those who try and count them such as The Belize Audubon Society, come up with figures like 530 species.

The names of the locations are real, and right where the book says they are. It's not a guidebook but if you wish to read it as such, I used all the bars and bartenders' correct names so you won't get lost. We tried to make all the bird information as accurate as possible, but that's not at all what "BIRD WATCHING WITH BUBBA" is about, as you will see.

It is difficult to give a real rating for this book as I am still waiting for my first edition signed hardback. However, I have had the privledge of eating ice cream with Elbert and reading some of his rough drafts I know the book will give me lots of entertainment. In the meantime I'm watching the most fascinating birds in the lagoon here on Ambergris Caye and shopping for a good bird identification book. I can tell you the one titled Birds of Guatumaula & Belize is absolutely useless. Miss Harriette