Twitching by numbers: Twenty-four years of chasing rare birds around Britain and Ireland

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She was evidently so appalled by the content and tone of some of the text that she put out a tweet (since deleted) highlighting extracts which included words such as 'knockers' and 'boobies'. Like most sports activities, twitching will appear completely pointless to the overwhelming majority of individuals. What the author thinks are “interesting” details of a twitch have been reduced to exact start and arrival times, lists of the people who were present and strange descriptions of the definitive field identification points which he saw to validate his “tick” and detailed accounting of what he ate and the cost. I need that bird, I need it," said Bagnell, a 46-year-old accountant and hard-core practitioner of British twitching, or extreme — and extremely competitive — bird-watching.

The Wryneck: Hurricane in a teacup? Twitcher on back foot

A smartphone app to help British birders is being advertised as an essential tool when "there have even been recent cases of violent clashes between bird watchers as people desperately try to get the very best spots". One of the fiercest rivalries, for instance, involves Bagnell's former mentor, now nemesis: bird guide Lee Evans, 53. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. In 2009, Bagnell said, he and other twitchers were aghast when two elderly rivals on the circuit went for each other's throats. The Wryneck says: Mr Bagnell is unlikely to win any awards for chivalry, but, in fairness, he did not set out to be a role model for other birders.

In one of dozens of similar scenes of “twitcher madness” here, local police were forced to cordon off streets after hundreds of desperate bird-watchers descended on a suburban home in Hampshire last year when a rare Spanish sparrow fluttered into somebody’s garden. And don't forget the output of TV comedians Benny Hill and Frankie Howerd, not to mention the photographs that have long appeared on Page 3 and elsewhere in many a red-top tabloid newspaper?

Twitching by numbers by Garry Richard Bagnell | Waterstones

Within the world of twitching, there are countless rankings — lifetime lists, annual lists, semiofficial lists, slightly more official lists. Evans, who dubs himself the "judge, jury and executioner" of birdwatching in Britain and keeps his own twitcher rankings, has long been challenged by 41-year-old grocer Adrian Webb. And who cares that Garry Bagnell has seen 553 hen species in Britain and Eire (which places him approach behind Steve Gantlett on an estimated 590 species)?After all the soaps and snowflakes moaning about the context of the book I thought I should check out version one, which I managed to get!

Book review: Twitching by Numbers by Garry Bagnell - Mark Avery

Evans also insists that he has been the victim of underhanded tricks, citing an incident when he was racing to see a rare bird in Scotland.

It was a new bird for him, and in all the excitement of rushing to see it, he just keeled over and died," Evans said.

Garry Richard Bagnell books and biography | Waterstones

In other countries, the world of birdwatching may be a largely gentle place ruled by calm, binocular-toting souls who patiently wait for their reward. He also tells us of the junk food he has eaten, the beverages drunk on the road, the hours sleeping in the car at motorway services to catch up on sleep and the costs of travel on each trip. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

The simple answer is a “yes”, but with this caveat - pick it up for a couple of quid from the second-hand/used books displayed outside some of RSPB reserves – the RSPB needs the money, the author does not. In one of dozens of similar scenes of "twitcher madness" in Britain, police were forced to cordon off streets after hundreds of desperate birdwatchers descended on a suburban home in Hampshire in 2012 to see a rare Spanish sparrow. But instead of seeing something that’s wandered on to your local patch you travel hundreds of miles to see it then I feel that the experience is a bit devalued. The boat he and 12 others had hired died in choppy waters, forcing a daring rescue by Her Majesty’s Coastguard. Not deeply, but I am certainly interested in this book because it is a very clear description of the fieldsport of twitching from the viewpoint of a keen exponent.