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It began with a weekend house; then weekend trips. Then the occasional meeting rearranged in favor of a morning in Central Park, just while the spring migration was on. Before Luke Dempsey knew it, he had spiraled down into full-on birding mania - finding himself riding along with two like-minded maniacs in a series of disreputable rental cars and even nastier motel rooms, charging madly around the country in search of its rarest and most beautiful birds. A Supremely Bad Idea is the story of that search, and those birds, and those maniacs, and that country, and (to a much lesser extent) those rental cars. In Texas, the three obsessives go in search of the deeply endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler, which lives on the side of a hill near a waterfall; in Michigan, they see the pretty-much-extinct Kirtland's Warbler, which insists on short pine trees for nesting and lots of "quiet, please"; in Arizona, they see the very private Elegant Trogon after a very public fight with a birding guide. Along the way, Dempsey narrates an amazing sequence of encounters with nature and humanity, including a man building a 40-foot ark in his Seattle backyard; a beautiful woman who shows him how to kill 4,000 Cowbirds a year; a coyote (and his human smuggler) on the Rio Grande; and everywhere, these incandescent birds flitting across the range of his binoculars, and his heart. With the casual erudition of a Bill Bryson and the comic timing of a British David Sedaris, Dempsey demonstrates why so many millions of birders care so much about birds - and why, perhaps, the rest of us should, too
Enjoyed this book for the birds and the glimpses of great American road trip. Keep your iPad nearby if you want visuals and audio to enhance. I found the author a bit confusing, his obvious distaste for people with physical imperfections , lots of comments about paunches and obesity, the overly friendly waitress’s teeth, was off putting. He also was so quick to criticize , lots of times people do things because they don’t know any better, but his instant attacks weren’t particularly educational. ( )
I think if I wrote a humorous account of my own vacations, it would be about this good. Interesting concept, however, and I think Carolyn would like it. ( )
As a one time avid birder, I really enjoyed this book. The author, although not quite as good a writer, reminds me of Patrick McManus. If McManus were a birder, I am pretty sure he would be like this. The book essentially follows three misfits as they bird in various birding hot spots in the US. Almost makes me yearn for my birding days again. ( )
British ex-pat discovers birding and instantly becomes obsessed. Travels to different birding hot spots around the U.S. each spring with his delightfully eccentric friends Don & Donna Graffiti. A humorous and warm-hearted book. Recommended for birders who enjoy reading about other birders' adventures. ( )
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
In Memoriam
Vincent Dempsey
1935 - 1990
for Lily
for David
for Amelia
for Deborah
Primeras palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
I grew up in England, a small country near Ireland where we all love the queen and the sun don't shine.
Citas
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
I believe that birders are quietly heroic folk. Given all the choices one faces in the modern world, it's admirable, to my eye at least, that some people give up the chance to stand in line to buy iphones, or DVR CSI Scranton, and instead go out into a field to appreciate nature.
Últimas palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
It began with a weekend house; then weekend trips. Then the occasional meeting rearranged in favor of a morning in Central Park, just while the spring migration was on. Before Luke Dempsey knew it, he had spiraled down into full-on birding mania - finding himself riding along with two like-minded maniacs in a series of disreputable rental cars and even nastier motel rooms, charging madly around the country in search of its rarest and most beautiful birds. A Supremely Bad Idea is the story of that search, and those birds, and those maniacs, and that country, and (to a much lesser extent) those rental cars. In Texas, the three obsessives go in search of the deeply endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler, which lives on the side of a hill near a waterfall; in Michigan, they see the pretty-much-extinct Kirtland's Warbler, which insists on short pine trees for nesting and lots of "quiet, please"; in Arizona, they see the very private Elegant Trogon after a very public fight with a birding guide. Along the way, Dempsey narrates an amazing sequence of encounters with nature and humanity, including a man building a 40-foot ark in his Seattle backyard; a beautiful woman who shows him how to kill 4,000 Cowbirds a year; a coyote (and his human smuggler) on the Rio Grande; and everywhere, these incandescent birds flitting across the range of his binoculars, and his heart. With the casual erudition of a Bill Bryson and the comic timing of a British David Sedaris, Dempsey demonstrates why so many millions of birders care so much about birds - and why, perhaps, the rest of us should, too
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