Be a Birder

LoveReading Says

A welcoming, friendly, and positive guide to birding and 50 fabulous birds that can be seen in the UK. Author and wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin, wants everyone to be bitten by the bird bug and feels that birds act as a gateway to the rest of our wildlife. This is such an encouraging book it just had to be a Liz Pick of the Month. I loved the introduction and getting to know him, he tells of moving from Sudan to the UK as a child, and his growing love of wildlife. He also talks about his dyslexia and how he sees the world differently as he’s adapted and developed new skills. It actually feels as though he is talking directly to you, having a conversation rather than giving a lecture on birding. He has a very natural and engaging style of communication, which drew me in, allowing me to see through his eyes. He describes the joy of being able to watch or listen to birds from anywhere and goes on to explain how to use the book, gathering birds into habitats, adding a fact box for each one, talking about binoculars, and what he wants the book to be about. Then come the birds, 50 of them with illustrations sitting before the fact boxes which I absolutely fell in love with. I think you can probably guess which bird this is: “In three words: Dark, yellow-beaked songster”, and if you need more help: “Look out for them: Gobbling worms on a lawn; singing from tall trees and chimney pots at dawn and dusk”, or: “How easy it is to see them: Really easy, and if you can’t see them, you’ll hear them”. The descriptions of the birds include additional extras, such as other birds you may see nearby, their song, how well they are surviving, and what we can do to help them. So very generous, thoughtful, and inspiring Be a Birder is highly recommended by our team and joins our LoveReading Star Books.

Liz Robinson

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