A–Z of Birds: a Miscellany of Birding Tales from Distant Lands

This is a new book from a man who never seems to stop to take breath.

Well known (as ‘Fatbirder’) in birding circles, Bo Beolens has produced here a delightfully light-hearted, fun book relating some of his birding encounters around the world, accompanied by his wife Maggie. It is a series of 26 anecdotal chapters, alphabetically arranged by bird-named title (‘N is for Nightingale’), in which he weaves tales which are both entertaining and informative. It is witty and clever in its use of puns, tongue-in-cheek in its observations, and laugh-out-loud funny in some parts – notably one time where, upon arriving in Thailand, he pointedly refused to acknowledge the shouts of “Tourist!” directed at him by what he took to be a paper-brandishing taxi tout. The poor man turned out to be the representative of the tour company ‘Tour East’!

The drawings by cartoonist Des Campbell contribute wonderfully to what is a great little book for dipping into.