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To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession (2005)

de Dan Koeppel

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3211480,595 (3.79)31
When the author's father Richard was 11 years old, he spotted a Brown Thrasher, and his fascination with birds began. Now a "Big Lister," Richard is one of only 10 or so people to have recorded more than 7,000 species in his notebook. This is the remarkable chronicle of his travels across the globe in pursuit of his fixation. It is also a thoughtful examination of the natural world and a touching father/son story.… (més)
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» Mira també 31 mencions

Es mostren 1-5 de 13 (següent | mostra-les totes)
The other day, I was having my weekly coffee with friends when one of them said to me, (in relation to a FB post of mine she’d recently seen): “You’ve become a real Twitcher, haven’t you?”

I hadn’t started this book yet, but my answer was a resounding “no” for several reasons, though it was hard to really define them for her. Now that I have finished this book, it’s much easier, and I’ll get back to that at the end of my post.

To See Every Bird on Earth is meant to be, if you believe what it says on the wrapper, a book that explores the thrill of the chase across the world to witness as many of the earth’s birds as possible in a lifetime. There’s some of that, but mostly, it’s the culmination of what I’m guessing was a lot of therapy for the author; a psychological catharsis of his family’s dysfunction, written and published. In many ways, this book was marketed to the wrong demographic; those that find personal substance in others’ stories about personal journeys would find a lot to like in this book. Needless to say, it’s not my jam.

BUT having said that, in between the family drama being laid bare, there was a lot of interesting insight into the world of Big Listers. Big Listers are those that have seen thousands of the known species of birds in the world. Known species is a moving target, and is currently around 10 thousand. The biggest Big Lister has seen over 8 thousand. This is about big numbers, big money, and big obsessions – and very little about the birds. Koeppel, when he focuses on these people, does a better than credible job getting into their heads and their world and it was fascinating for me, in a rubber-necking kind of way. The chance to see the birds these people have seen is tantalising; how they go about it, like a military invasion, isn’t.

And ultimately, this is why I’m not a twitcher, neither of the hobby sized or obsessive Big Lister variety. True, I have the list of birds in my state, and I do check them off when I see them, noting the time and place. But I don’t count, I don’t plan, set goals, or study, and I’m embarrassed at how few bird songs I can identify after the 10 years I’ve spent tramping around the bush – and at how easily I can confuse myself over identifications.

But I have no desire to ‘do better’ because my hazy goal, set when I started this and unchanged since, isn’t to just see the birds. When I moved to Australia, not knowing how long I’d be here, I wanted to see Australia, I wanted to experience this place so far away from the rest of the world on so many levels. Looking for birds (which are, let’s be honest, the low-hanging fruit of the wildlife tree), makes me look up, down, and into the bush; I have to actually explore my surroundings, and in doing that I come much closer to actually experiencing this amazing land. The added bonus: not only have I seen (and am seeing) Australia in a way that will stay with me, but I have a new found sense of wonder wherever I go, including home to Florida. I apparently lived 90% of my life alongside hundreds of bird species I never knew about because I never paid attention. And by looking for the birds, I’m finding an entire world of wildlife right there for me to appreciate (or not, in the case of some).

So while I didn’t enjoy To See Every Bird on Earth as much as I’d hoped, I do thank its author for helping me clarify in my own mind my motivations for my avian hobby that definitely isn’t bird-watching. ( )
  murderbydeath | Jan 29, 2022 |
Dan Koeppel's father's obsession with birds began at age 12. He wanted to be an ornithologist, but because of pressure from his parents, went to medical school and became a doctor. He married, had two kids, and divorced. After the divorce, he arranged his life to accommodate the bird-watching habit he had never given up. He worked as an ER doctor, allowing him to accumulate funds, and then take off on long birdwatching trips to exotic locations around the world. He belonged to that elite group of birdwatchers known as "big listers." It is estimated that there are around 9,600 distinct species of bird in the world (only about 900 in the US and Canada), and to see more than 7000 is a huge accomplishment.

This book brings us right into the world of these big listers--the lengths they go to and the money they spend to "see every bird." But it is also a son's memoir of coming to terms with his estranged father, as in later life he joined his father on several bird watching trips and struggled to understand his father's obsession.

Recommended

3 1/2 stars ( )
  arubabookwoman | Oct 27, 2021 |
A personal story of living with a parent obsessed with a life consuming quest. ( )
  4bonasa | Feb 21, 2021 |
A lovely memoir about the relationship between a father and a son, this book is one of my favorites. You will not only learn more about bird watching than you thought possible, but you will want to hug your father and tell him you love him after reading this book. ( )
  LTManning | Oct 29, 2017 |
This is the first book I've ever read where it was crucial to read the pages of acknowledgements first! As an avid birder when I read the book, I had certain expectations. I expected mentions of other birders, and I expected to get clarification on who was the obsessive one? -- the father, or the son -- it is intentionally ambiguous. I know a couple of "listers" and have birded with them when I was a novice. They both valued another set of eyes and ears as long as one is not noisy, or awkward, or talkative, or impatient or wearing white (real birders don't wear white). Did that apply to Richard, too?

What I missed from TSEB was this perspective of the other birders around this obsessive compulsive dad.
Perhaps I've forgotten, but I thought that a few interviews with other listers, or others he birded with, might have given a fuller picture of the person he was writing about.

Writing this review a dozen years after reading the book, many details have faded. I do remember that as an anesthesiologist he never dealt with patients as people, and as a contract person he had no lingering responsibilities for the care of the patient once they woke up. No babies waiting for delivery, no cancers to monitor, no moods to deal with. The practice served his needs perfectly -- he could earn lots of money and only work when it was necessary. Since he seemed to lack both empathy and social skills, there are few professions that would allow him to succeed.

The extremes to which the father would go to add to his list were interesting and curious. He didn't seem to enjoy his quest. There was little "joy" or "fun" in the book. But, I'm forgiving. Making your first publication an autobiographical biography must be a real challenge. For the "History of Birding and Listing" material,I give him full marks. For the rest, a medium grade-- for failing to fully research his father's effects on others.

What a perfect cover. ( )
  Lace-Structures | Mar 14, 2015 |
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Nom de l'autorCàrrecTipus d'autorObra?Estat
Dan Koeppelautor primaritotes les edicionscalculat
McDonough, JohnNarradorautor secundarialgunes edicionsconfirmat
Has d'iniciar sessió per poder modificar les dades del coneixement compartit.
Si et cal més ajuda, mira la pàgina d'ajuda del coneixement compartit.
Títol normalitzat
Títol original
Títols alternatius
Data original de publicació
Gent/Personatges
Llocs importants
Esdeveniments importants
Pel·lícules relacionades
Epígraf
Dedicatòria
Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès. Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
Dedicated to Dad, Mom, and Jim.
Primeres paraules
Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès. Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
My father and I were drinking champagne on a remote island in the Rio Negro, the dark river that flows into the Brazilian Amazon.
Citacions
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(Clica-hi per mostrar-ho. Compte: pot anticipar-te quin és el desenllaç de l'obra.)
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Editor de l'editorial
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Wikipedia en anglès (3)

When the author's father Richard was 11 years old, he spotted a Brown Thrasher, and his fascination with birds began. Now a "Big Lister," Richard is one of only 10 or so people to have recorded more than 7,000 species in his notebook. This is the remarkable chronicle of his travels across the globe in pursuit of his fixation. It is also a thoughtful examination of the natural world and a touching father/son story.

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