A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion cover art

A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion

By: Simon Barnes
Narrated by: Simon Barnes
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £11.86

Buy Now for £11.86

About this listen

Simon Barnes is one of Britain's leading bird writers and humorists. His weekly column in The Times (London), his essays for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) magazine, and his two books on bad bird-watching have made him one of the characters of the bird world.

Here, he reads his own illuminating introductions to the 50 main birds of Britain, supported by the distinguishing bird song of each species. He not only gives helpful identifying features, but enriches them with whimsical observations on their characters and tendencies. It is a delightful text, superbly presented by the author himself.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2007 Naxos Audiobooks (P)2007 Naxos Audiobooks Animals Biological Sciences Birdwatching Outdoors & Nature Science

Editor reviews

An obsessively maintained bird diary or field notes aren't necessary prerequisites for loving birds, as bird writer and humorist Simon Barnes proves in A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion. Gently and amusingly narrated by Barnes himself, this audiobook is an unpretentious and helpful guide for anybody who takes pleasure from simply gazing out the window at a beautiful bird. Offering simple identifying features of 50 common British birds alongside playful observations on bird character, the best feature of this audiobook is a recording of each of the birds' songs, giving listeners a chance to compare these calls to what they hear outside.
All stars
Most relevant
As a person who has been recently engulfed by the wonder of birding I want to thank the author for an informative and enthusiastic glimpse into his birding world. This book is clear, full of easy to access tips and advice. A great listen, possibly when accompanied by a search engine for images or a quiet personal reflection on birds seen and the wealth of birds still to see with places to see them ,it widens your birding horizons.

a fantastically encouraging book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
loved it. light hearted, funny and informative. well read and we'll pitched for a bad bird watcher

brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What made the experience of listening to A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed Simon's descriptions about the birds and how they live.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion?

None stood out, I loved all of it.

Which character – as performed by Simon Barnes – was your favourite?

None in particular.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes but couldn't due to length and couldn't always concentrate and kept dozing.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but wish more ducks had been featured. I also wish the Bird from Peter and The Wolf got an airing at least once as the duck did, though the classical music interludes did nothing for me overall.

An interesting book about birds.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really enjoyed listening to this and found it very informative, interesting and entertaining. The only thing - and this may be an ‘audible ‘ thing is that the chapters are numbered but not named and so if you want to go to a chapter on a particular bird you have to make a note of which number chapter it was in.

Helpful and entertaining

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well read, funny, informative, musical and uplifting. I'm quite a good birder and I still enjoyed it, but it seemed very accessible to the beginner.

an easy, enjoyable listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews