{"product_id":"enchantment-by-birds-a-history-of-australian-birdwatching-in-22-species-9781957363974","title":"Enchantment by Birds: A History of Australian Birdwatching in 22 Species","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA fresh appreciation of the magic of birds and how watching them fulfils a human need to connect with nature.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnchantment by birds is commonplace. Birdwatchers merely go a step further than others and actively seek to be enchanted. This book tells why they take that extra step. It takes the reader on a series of excursions into birdwatching's past, venturing forward to the present. With an intriguing cast of characters, avian as well as human, its lively narratives explore the emotional and aesthetic impulses behind the pastime as well as its scientific and conservationist components.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIts stories of 22 Australian birds range widely: from wordy squabbles over bird names to the artistic finessing of field guides; from the Paradise Parrot's tragic fall into extinction to the everyday enjoyment of a Magpie's carol; from the evolution of citizen science to the boom in birding tourism. Interlacing them all is the insight that birdwatching is a means by which modern, urban people reach out to touch the wild. A primal desire to connect with nature lies at the heart of the pastime.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEnchantment by Birds\u003c\/em\u003e not only offers a compelling exposition of what makes birders tick; it also tells us, imaginatively and informatively, why birds have a special place in our hearts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMcGregor, Russell:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRussell McGregor\u003c\/strong\u003e has been a birdwatcher since childhood and an historian for over 40 years\u003cem\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e Formerly a professor of history at James Cook University, he has written numerous articles on birds and birdwatching, and is also the author of six previous books, including \u003cem\u003eIndifferent Inclusion: Aboriginal people and the Australian nation\u003c\/em\u003e (winner of the 2012 New South Wales Premier's Australian History Prize), and \u003cem\u003eIdling in Green Places: a life of Alec Chisholm\u003c\/em\u003e (shortlisted for the 2020 National Biography Award).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Scribe Us","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51474883150098,"sku":"9781957363974","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_11bda6c7-dbc3-4185-8fc4-cd7d230b202c.jpg?v=1752581674","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/enchantment-by-birds-a-history-of-australian-birdwatching-in-22-species-9781957363974","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}