Down & Dirty Birding: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous, Here's All the Outrageous But True Stuff You've Ever Wanted to Know about North Am

by Joey Slinger

Book Overview

From Simon & Schuster, Down and Dirty Birding: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous is Joey Slinger's fascinating exploration of North American birds.

Joey Slinger's Down and Dirty Birding: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous is all the outrageous but true stuff you never wanted to know about North American birds.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068480459X
• ISBN13: 9780684804590
• Release Date: July 1996
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

I learned (a lot) & laughed (a lot) -- Is that possible?

A well-written book about birds; their behavior, their beauty, their evolution, and their ability to make humans do stupid things just to see them. This book is funny and informative...it's not a field guide, but a "Birds-for-Dummies". My only negative comment is that the footnotes, as mentioned by another reviewer, become distracting after a time. As I got towards the end of the book, I would complete reading a page and only then check out the footnotes. If they offered additional information I'd refer back to the text, if not, I didn't have to break my concentration to refer to a often silly remark. This is one book that I will keep right next to my collection of Sibley's, Peterson's, and Audubon Field Guides. A perfect gift for your birding friend, relative, co-worker (c'mon we all have one) that seems to have everthing.

The field guide companion for right-brained people

I've never been able to enjoy technical manuals, and that is what most bird books are. This is a back-stage pass into birding. It reminds me of another all-time great manuals, Kayak, by the late William Nealy. I will never give another field guide without a companion copy of this wonderful, funny, engaging book.

Essential reading for everyone on the planet

Anyone who's ever seen a bird, or heard one, MUST read this book. It blows the soft-sided hiking boots off the birding cult. This Slinger guy is the first to recognize why park rangers wear brown shirts. I recommend this book for every freedom loving American.

Take a back seat, Peterson's!

Mr. Slinger correctly documented several conversations I've had with fellow birders: "What is it?" "Look it up." "I've dropped the field guide!" Several of my birding buddies are getting this book for Christmas. It was refreshing to find someone else who enjoys, is baffled, gets disappointed, frustrated but just can't stop birding. I now feel vindicated calling lbj's "who-who thingies."

It's about time!

I laughed out loud numerous times and shared choice sections (and laughs) with my (also bird-loving) wife. It was refreshing to read a serious (and obviously knowledgable) birder making light of some of the more ridiculous aspects of birding. The content was exceptional. I learned quite a few new bird facts and realized how often I fall into the trap of assigning a species name to a whizzing blur of feathers. At least I'm not alone! From now on, I think I will always describe bird details in terms of getting a "hit". As in, "I got a hit of Grashopper Sparrow". As an American, I didn't even mind the occasional tweek delivered by this witty Canadian author. Indeed, some were well deserved. All in all the author made me proud to have seen a real live Grasshopper Sparrow