Product Description

"Bearded Tit" is Rory McGrath's story of life among birds. From a Cornish boyhood wandering gorse-tipped cliffs listening to the song of the yellowhammer with his imaginary girlfriend, or drawing gravity-defying jackdaws in class when he should have been applying himself to physics, to quoting the Latin names of birds to give himself a fighting chance of a future with JJ - the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. As an adult, or what passes for one, Rory recounts becoming a card-carrying birdwatcher, observing his first skylark - peerless king of the summer sky - while stoned; his repeatedly failed attempts to get up at the crack of dawn like the real twitchers; and his flawed bid to educate his utterly unreconstructed drinking mate Danny in the ways of birding. Rory's tale is a thoroughly educational, occasionally lyrical and highly amusing romp through the hidden byways of birdwatching and, more importantly, a love story you'll never forget.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7271 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Daily Mail
"a gentle, warming, nostalgic and gag-ridden memoir...
His self-deprecation is not only disarming but occasionally very moving, and he pulls off a romantic twist at the end that will thaw the heart of the coldest Icelandic puffin."

Mail on Sunday
"McGrath's tale of fumbled romance and birding evangelism is ultimately a sweet and elegiac read"

Robin Page, Daily Telegraph
"There is far more to Rory McGrath than meets the eye. Yes, he can be very funny, basic and boisterous, but beneath the stubble is a countryman and birdwatcher... lyrical and beautiful"

Customer Reviews

Hilarious, lovely and really moving!
This is a beautiful story - unexpected, superbly written and immensely satisfying! I loved it! I'm a fan of Rory McGrath - he's just hilarious and so cheeky - and as a comedian and a graduate of modern language, the writing was pure comic genius in places. Its touching and earthy. There's suspense and intrigue and romance and surprises! Highly recommended!!!

I can even excuse his being a Gooner
Part autobiography, part birding memoir, this is a light-hearted, funny glimpse into the world of British birdwatching as seen through the eyes of the author, a TV comedian and bird devotee. A great mix of amusing anecdotes, Linnean cleassification and tales of teenage angst, with a denoument that I guarantee will send you off smiling. An excellent book, well worth a read.

Surprisingly sweet
A little gem. Anyone who has avoided this book because of Mr McGrath's boisterous "blokey" persona that he projects in his television appearances should think again as he has written a truly charming and delightful read - a poignant and sensitive love story woven amongst the trials and tribulations of University and later adult life and all told through his own experiences of bird watching. Many might think that such a pastime is only for the "anoraks" of society, but Mr McGrath's anecdotes are informative and always entertaining and manage to put a lot of fun into what might seem to outsiders to be something of a dry and uninspiring hobby. Rory McGrath makes it magical and absorbing, at times very funny, and you might even learn something along the way. The easily offended should be warned that this is an adult story told in an adult way, but that shouldn't deter you from this quality read, and if the producers of wildlife TV shows are looking for a hairy comedian to replace Bill Oddie at any time in the future, they could do much worse than to give Mr McGrath a call.