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

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He comes across as a laddish character with flaws (we all have flaws) and perhaps his openness was what got him criticism for some of his remarks, and perhaps that criticism was well deserved. 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. Twitching is a lifetime marathon and as the author points out you’ll have to spend a good four decades at it, and fairly obsessively at it, to stand any chance of a top 10 ranking. He Tweeted many times asking for advice and just before publication provided an example of the introduction but it had none of the above in it.

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. They are mostly very readable and highly worthy in their own ways, but there are so many of them that a certain staleness has set in. I had never heard of a foam party until I read this book – maybe I should get out more, or maybe not. He just sought to put down in words and pictures some of the highlights of almost quarter of a century of twitching, these accompanied by reflections on other aspects of his career and outlook on life.

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. Driving an unnecessarily large and heavier car to keep up with the Jones’s isn’t just an added burden re inflated air pollution it means any accident involving them will be more serious than it would have been – especially for cyclists and pedestrians and obviously children – a bad situation being made even worse. The Wryneck says: Mr Bagnell is unlikely to win any awards for chivalry, but, in fairness, he did not set out to be a role model for other birders. 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. The book details what happens during my twitch, credits finder and categorises each rarity (1-year, 2-year, 3-year, 4-year, 5-year, 10-year, 20-year and lifetime).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. 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. Found this blog from the year Leighton had a big anniversary year And this blog shows how you had to apply for permits. There were some reserves of course that were open every day such as the RSPB’s headquarters The Lodge Reserve but closed around 5.