Oz Report

Birding (from issue 10.195)

Obsessed

Birding

For some people, bird watching is a compulsion that can become more important than friends, family or career.  Richard Koeppel is one of those obsessive birders, and in this candid book, his son shares his story, painting his father as a tragic figure who passionately wanted to become an ornithologist but became the doctor his parents wanted him to be instead.  Not surprisingly, Richard's medical career never satisfied him, and he gave it up to become a "Big Lister," one of a group of highly competitive birders who travel the world making lists of their sightings.  Over the years he spotted more than 7,000 different species, a number achieved by fewer than a dozen others.

Tejas [Abhijeet] Gole <tejasgole> writes:

There's a lot about Birding "Big Listers" in there.  Interesting parallels with hang gliding big-miles club?  Possibly.  Nevertheless, the information about birds is quite interesting.

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