If I was asked what influences transformed me from a birdwatcher to a birder / lister, I'd have to pick out two books:
A Twitcher's Diary, by Richard Millington:
....and Bill Oddie's The Big Bird Race:
I've met both authors on many occasions: I first bumped into RGM at the famous (notorious?) Nancy's Cafe in Cley back in the early eighties. Although he spends a lot of his time antique dealing these day's, he can still be seen around the Cley square. If you've never read his twitcher's diary, you really should! It's a memoire of the golden days when a life list of 300 still put you in the top couple of hundred UK birders!
The first time I met Bill Oddie was by the roadside at Stiffkey, in the 'Flint Barn Layby'. I was pleased to show him a Red Kite in the distant conifer belt - still a rare bird in those days. He was a member of a team that took part in a televised 24 hour Bird Race in 1982, being beaten by another group including Bill Urwin, the Head of Key Stage 2 at Acle Primary that I replaced in 1986. This book inspired me to take part in several subsequent bird races, a couple of which my team - The Cley Casuals - won. We received our prize from Bill at the Rutland Bird fair! I met Mr Oddie on numerous other occasions, and - I'm pleased to say - never once mentioned the Goodies!
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