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Birding on Borrowed Time Paperback – June 1, 2003

by Phoebe Snetsinger (Author)

4.5 62 ratings

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Birding on Borrowed Time tells, in her own words, the remarkable story of Phoebe Snetsigner, the woman who saw more birds in her life than any other human being in the history of the world. Phoebe's quest to see as many birds as possible only began at the age of 34, when she first laid eyes on a resplendent Blackburnian Warbler. Both a lively chronicle of birding adventures and a profoundly moving human document, Birding on Borrowed Time is the memoir of a truly extraordinary woman. The book includes 45 illustrations by renowned avian artist H. Douglas Pratt (including 16 full-color plates), appendices, indices, and a map showing Phoebe's travel destinations.

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About the Author

Phoebe Snetsigner's quest to see as many birds as possible only began at the age of 34, when she first laid eyes on a resplendent Blackburnian Warbler. After her belated awakening to the avian marvels around her, Phoebe began traveling across the globe, to all seven continents, observing and learning as much as she could about the world's thousands of bird species. The intensity and urgency of her quest were quickened when a cancer diagnosis led doctors to give her one year to live. Instead of succumbing to despair, Phoebe pursued her passion and strove to live what remained of her life to its fullest. Miraculously, she defied her death sentence, living on to see more of the world and more new birds for 17 additional years. Along the way, she faced other hazards: a brutal assault and rape in New Guinea, a shipwreck, earthquakes, and political upheaval, along with recurrences of malignant melanoma. But in the end she triumphed over adversity and fulfilled her lifelong dream by becoming the first person to see more than 8,000 of the world's birds - a remarkable achievement that required passion, knowledge, skill, dedication, and persistence.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ American Birding Association, Inc.; First Edition (June 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 307 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1878788418
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1878788412
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.01 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #868,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,855 in Bird Watching (Books)

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4.5 62 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

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Bruce Christensen

Very satisfied

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2024

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Product came in a timely manner

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James W. Brooks

Few of us have lived so much as this dying woman.

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2012

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Phoebe Snetsinger was in the next door cabana during my 1991 birding trip to Cuba. Her reputation preceded her - how she chose to go birding when told she had three months to live due to a melanoma. She was the first person to see over 8,000 bird species in the wild, and she saw 10 of those during our first morning in Cuba. The single paragraph she devoted to that trip in her autobiography only mentiobned those birds she missed: like Zapata Rail and Stygian Owl. Two years later I got the owl while leading another trip to Playa Larga, probably the only bird in the world that I had and she didn't when she died in an auto crash in Madagascar in 1999. Phoebe fundamentally changed how we do international birding, keeping copious notes on races which might someday be split, and refusing to count species that she heard and did not see. . She was all business, but possessed a puckish sense of humor, like the time she erected her umbrella during a shower, unbuttoned the top button and stuck it in her bra, leaving both hands free on the binoculars. "It's the only advantage a woman has in the field - the only one!" she said with a wink, and went right bacik to studying a Cuban Green Woodpecker. Reading her autobiography gave me an opportunity to recall this and other incidents. Her writing is no-nonsense. Anyone who aspires to be an international birder should read this book, and would do well to emulate her example..

32 people found this helpful

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amy sheldon

Book in good condition

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024

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Book in good condition

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2009

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Phoebe Snetsinger's autobiography is the story of a woman who was told she was dying and decided to do what she wanted in the little time available. She went birding. She lived, despite repeated episodes of cancer, and she continued birding. She became the first person ever to see 8,000 different species of birds. On Borrowed Time is her story. It is much better written the mediocre biography Life List, which has a great advertisement despite the less than great content of the book. On Borrowed Time is for birders and people interested in life lived with purpose.

4 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

This is absolutely a great book! To be able to travel & Persue ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2016

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This is absolutely a great book! To be able to travel & Persue your love for birds - It's Amazing!! This is very detailed on all bird species! This Woman endured what many would cry & complain about. Peace Be With Her.

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cats

Don't Miss this Wonderful Book!

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2017

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Phoebe is on a mission to find as many birds as possible, not just in her backyard, but the whole world in a race against a devastating cancer determined to end her life.

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CarlW

If you're a birder, you'll enjoy it.

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2022

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Lots of birders have written memoirs by now, and if you've tried reading some, you'll know the quality is uneven. Phoebe Snetsinger's is quite readable. I wouldn't say it's a great book, or one that tries to appeal to any but a narrow audience, but if you're in that audience, it's consistently interesting, and there are stories of great birds and great places. I ended up with a deepened appreciation for what she accomplished--not just the number she put up, but the style she was aiming for--and she was honest enough to convey a good understanding of why her husband was driven to ask for a divorce. That said, it was worthwhile to read her memoir alongside Olivia Gentile's Life List, a good biography that is neither hostile nor fawning.

One person found this helpful

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Debbie N

Yes the book was wonderful and it came just when you said it would ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2016

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Yes the book was wonderful and it came just when you said it would in good condition. Thank you. I am giving it away as a gift.

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警笛のグスタフ

8千種の鳥を見たおばさん

Reviewed in Japan on January 31, 2006

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世界に約1万種といわれる鳥のうちの8千種の鳥を、世界で初めて見たおばさんの回想記です。

フィービ・スネツィンジャー(1931-1999)は、30代なかばにバードウォッチングに目覚めます。子育てと家事の多忙のさなかに、隣家の奥さんが見せてくれた、春の渡りで通過中のアメリカムシクイで鳥を見る楽しみを知ったフィービは、徐々に熱心なバーダーになってゆきます。しかし、彼女に本当の転機がおとずれるのは、40代の終わりに悪性の腫瘍が発見され、医師に1年の命と宣告されたときです。彼女は自覚症状がないことを幸い、たとえ数ヵ月でも日常生活ができる間はこれまでどおり鳥を見てあるくことを決断します。

この本を読んで驚いたのは、この人がただのお金と暇だけある、自分では鳥の識別のできない、思いこみの激しいおばさんではなくて、探鳥旅行の前にはみっちり予習をして、近似種の識別点なども頭に入れてゆき、実際に鳥を観察するときも自分の目で見て納得することを重んずる、いわば正統派のウォッチャーであるということでした。

この本は一言で言えば、このおばさんがガンの宣告から17年生きて、8000種を達成してゆく過程の話なわけですが、それは面白いのか、と疑問を持たれる方もいらっしゃるかと思います。私も読む前は少し心配しましたが、その心配は杞憂でした。珍しい鳥にどうやって出会って、鳥はどんなだったかという、バーダーならぜひ体験してみたい情景はもとより、ウォッチングの喜びや悲しみ（？）について考えさせられるいろいろのエピソードや、内省的なコメントもあり、非常に興味深いものがありました（ただ、日本に紹介するときの難点は、録音のプレイバックによる誘引を多用していることでしょう。日本のように人跡未踏の場所のない国では、外国では行われているからといって、プレイバックが流行するのは鳥類保護上大変まずいと思います）。

14 people found this helpful

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Peter Kennedy

Quite a journey.

Reviewed in Canada on July 3, 2019

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Liked the content.

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