Twitching by numbers: A birder's account of his hectic life as he chases rare species across Britain and Ireland

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How refreshing, therefore, to come across Twitching By Numbers - a birder's account of his hectic life as he chases rare species across Britain and Ireland.

If you ever wanted to understand what twitching is, then this detailed account would be a good place to start. Also there is the problem of disturbance of rare birds often with twitchers in there hundreds at least. He talks about things that people might not see as important and makes a point of what he thinks is important.The pace of his fascinating narrative races on with barely a pause for breath, and, by the end of the book (which comes all too quickly), he has covered 25 glorious and super-eventful twitch-filled years. No doubt some twitchers who started birdwatching long after me will have seen more different birds than myself and of course I’ve noticed the boasting by some and it’s not just me that’s noticed.

Luckily at Leighton Moss no charge for permits for members, but member had for admission at lots of reserves. Any author who deviates from what is considered decorous and appropriate enjoys no licence - he (or she) risks being singled out and pilloried with opprobrium. The author has a lot of anger in him and some people might find it offensive, but I thought it was great. Innuendo and/or explicit images were also a mainstay of the Carry On and Confessions of movies that were popular in the 1980s and before.

You would have been at the top of the list in 1987, aside Ron Johns, if you had seen a paltry (I jest! Somehow in that quarter-of-a-century, he has managed to catch up with more than 550 bird species in Britain and Ireland while simultaneously holding down a happy family life, a full-time job in finance with a series of bluechip employers plus a range of sporting interests including playing chess (to county standard) and darts, not to mention following the fortunes of Arsenal FC.

And who cares that Garry Bagnell has seen 553 bird species in Britain and Ireland (which puts him way behind Steve Gantlett on an estimated 590 species)? Every day, we all encounter a myriad of things that cause personal irritation, inconvenience or even offence, but we shrug them off, look on the bright side and just get on with life - we don't all rush to Twitter to condemn. There are stories of sticks being thrown at bushes so birds would be flushed out to get a better look at them, and exhausted, agitated birds flying from bush to bush until they were nabbed by a sparrowhawk.For some twitchers, travelling many miles to see a rare bird seems to lift their spirits to new levels of exhilaration.

However, the more rounded account contained in this book is of a man with some acts of considerable kindness to his name, who has suffered from depression in the past and who happily acknowledges that he might be ‘on the spectrum’. 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. A FEATURE of today’s nature-publishing scene is that an abundance of new titles are either preoccupied with mental health or have a green-and-leafy eco-agenda. Because this author is very open about sharing his thoughts and feelings, and a lot of details, you might get more of a handle on the ‘why?The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it. The table near the back of this book which lists the Top 10 listers in Britain and Ireland in 1987 and now (two names appear in both lists) is fascinating. I offered to proof read it for him and suggested that he get people who don't know him to read it, mainly for typos and content. I am pleased that Garry has temporarily withdrawn the book and has committed to re-writing at least the first four chapters. The human fallout and carnage from this reverence for the supposed personal freedom brought by a car (often to sit in a traffic jam with all the others enjoying their ‘freedom’ of the road) is horrendous and really deserves to be brought up alongside the environmental cost.