The Reluctant Twitcher: A Quite Truthful Account of My Big Birding Year

by Richard Pope

Richard Pope, author of Me n Life in the Haliburton Bush, 1900-1940 and the voyageur epic Superior Illusions , is a recently retired professor of Russian literature and culture at York University and a long-standing member of the Ontario Ornithological Club and the Ontario Field Ornithologists. He and his wife, Felicity, live in Cobourg, Ontario.

The human side of birding comes to the fore in The Reluctant Twitcher , a serious yet humorous account of birds and birding and the art of chasing rarities. Richard Pope, a lifelong birder, had successfully avoided this latter pursuit for many years but capitulated in 2007 when he embarked on his "Big Year," the object being to record at least three hundred birds in Ontario within that calendar period. Almost instantly, a relatively normal birdwatcher morphed into a "twitcher," albeit reluctantly, pursuing rare species of birds from Rainy River to the Ottawa and well beyond his wildest expectations. Though it was a challenge that was not without trials and disappointments, Pope describes all his adventures with self-deprecating humour. Not just another book on birding, Pope’s unique approach is supported by an array of exceptional colour photographs.

Genres: Birds, Nonfiction, Nature, Animals

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Richard Pope is a birder and life-long naturalist who taught Russian literature, culture and history before retiring. He writes historical fiction about the fur trade, the voyageurs, and the First World War.

Reviews

[Jayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really adorable and nerdy story about an Ontarian twitcher doing his first big year. Probably only an interesting read for anyone nerdy enough to know or care what a big year is. As a birder, you'll probably relate to all the weird/panicky moments where you try and fail miserably not to embarrass yourself in front of 'serious' birders. A lot of why I liked this book is also because I read it at exactly the right moment, when I was in the middle of crossing over to the dark side of birding. Going from a normal person, who likes to spend time outside and learn about nature...to one who obsessively makes lists of birds, thinks more and more about doing dedicated birding vacations, and is getting close to forgetting why she thought people who do a big year are crazy.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and humourous look into one year in the life of an Ontario birder who is trying to fulfil his “big year” goal of 300 species. I really enjoyed his dry humour. I think my favourite moment was where he’s listed the birds he’s spotted during the spring migration at Point Pelee and casually thrown into the list is a “Margaret Atwood” sighting. Beautifully done, and I’m sure she got a kick out of it. (She’s a fellow birder.)

This will probably appeal to a rather limited audience (ie. birders, although fellow “butterflyers” like myself will also appreciate the humour). I’m out all year here in Ontario, spotting both birds and butterflies, and I’m definitely teetering on the fence... it wouldn’t take much to topple me over to the “dark side” and becoming a twitcher. This book both makes me want to, but also is a useful reminder as to why I shouldn’t cross over, LOL!

The only thing I didn’t like was his use of tapes to attract birds, which is rather unethical. I know he acknowledges this (a bit) in the book and doesn’t use the method often, but it bothered me that it was used at all. I would like to think that in the ensuring years since this book was published, that fewer birders resort to doing this.

Otherwise, a fun account of a birder’s big year craziness.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have known many birders, got lots of laughs from it

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, talk about rushing around to see birds, but this is absolutely not a dry read, and Pope made it a compelling story.

[Emily Kestrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of self-deprecating humor and lots of birds. I think most serious birders would enjoy this book, which reads like a particularly funny and extended field report. I am not sure what non-birders would make of it, though. My one complaint is that I didn't realize how short this is, as the last 20% consists of his bird lists. The kindle price seems rather steep for a mere couple of hours reading, but apparently a portion of the cost goes to support bird conservation, so that's OK.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funniest book I've read in a long time, but also a little inspiring to get out there and do a (little) more birding. Some writing was a little less clear than desirable; for instance when the author was describing what he wanted to say versus what he actually said I had trouble following. Still, the humor and directness came through. I recommend.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable. I love watching birds and the whole premise of him getting what he could in a year was wonderful. Of course he had a wife at home to keep the fires burning!

[Michele Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining

[Gunther · Rating 4 out of 5]

for twitchers

[D.]

I don't know if this was actually self-published, but the writing is evocative that genre. I really wanted to like it, but I had to quit after a couple chapters.

[Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining.

[Arlene Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing account of a birder's Ontario Big Year. Only another birder would appreciate and enjoy the antics.