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This audio CD got an excellent review in The Times ( Barnes's 'paper'), and for good reason.

As stated in the introduction, Field Guides can be intimidating, whereas this superb audio CD takes you simply through 50 birds, their habitat, song, characterisitics and personalities, in an easy to listen to, yet informative way.

An audio CD's success is often determined by the reader's tone of voice, speed of delivery and empathy with the story or subject matter and selecting Barnes to read his own book was an excellent choice.

Having listened to the Dawn Chorus in my garden for a number of years and always wanted to know which birds are participating...well, all is now clear.

If you are interested in learning more about birds and want to break into the subject easily, this is the perfect place to start.

It lifts the heart!

I have many bird books from Birds of the Western Palearctic to the Collins Guide - plus 2 shelves of books on individual species. This book is still a delight - and like all Simon Barnes books - immensely readable. The illustrations are just sketches - cartoon like, but they give the jizz of the individual bird. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any birder - experienced or novice.

After Christmas a year ago, I struggled to find something worthy of the book
token I'd been given, till I chanced on "How to be a bad birdwatcher". It
caught my attention immediately for the way the author approaches the
subject. For someone like myself who has a passing interest in a lot of
subjects, it appeals to my mentality marvellously.

In a similar situation again this year I spotted a familiar style of
cover - "The bad birdwatcher's companion", of course. I was initially
discouraged by a book describing such everyday birds as the Robin and
Sparrow, until I read a few extracts. That was it - I just had to buy a
copy. All other books have been set aside until I've read this, start to
finish.

Congratulations to the author on a splendid couple of works. They
do to me just what I guess was intended - get me excited about the topic. If
only the traditionally stuffy style of a lot of British publications were
written instead, in this easy manner, they'd be a lot more digestible.

This book was a disappointment to me. The facts on the birds themselves are few; a child's book on birds will give you more useful information. The drawings (pen and brush) were in black, and grey and so could not convey the real look and beauty of the birds.
To get away with what amounts to a personal view of the his love of the birds themselves, the author would have to have a lot more writing talent than he possesses.
My recommendation: save your money and look for another birdwatching book.

This book is brilliant. The pen pictures of the 50 (and a few more) birds describing their habits, observation tips etc are accurate and very witty. It is an ideal companion to the first book but also has its own value as a stand alone book for those who haven't read the first one. For those who are confirmed bad birdwatchers its an ideal present for those who don't yet share or appreciate your enthusiasm. The environmental/conservation slant in the book is well judged - not too strident but makes the point well.
I'd recommend it to anybody.