Bill Oddie

'A murder of crows', 'a charm of goldfinches', 'an ostentation of peacocks': collective nouns for British birds have existed since at least the mid fifteenth century. They are thought to originate in texts about hunting, but have since evolved into evocative, witty and literary expressions, each striving to capture the very essence of the animal they describe.Some are portentous - 'a conspiracy of ravens' perfectly evokes this sinister bird - others convey sound, such as 'a murmuration of starlings' or 'a chattering of choughs'. Yet more reflect with a flourish the beauty of the bird itself: what could be more celebratory than 'a crown of kingfishers', or 'an exaltation of larks'?The best of these imaginative expressions are collected here, illustrated with charming woodcuts by Thomas Bewick, the renowned naturalist engraver of the eighteenth century. Featuring songbirds, aquatic birds, birds of prey and garden favourites, this beautifully presented book will delight both bird-lovers and word-lovers in equal measure.

A Compendium of Collective Nouns for Birds

A Conspiracy of Ravens

Graeme Garden

Tim Brooke-Taylor

The Goodies Book of Criminal Records

Simon King

Kate Humble

Simon

Bill/humble

Kate/king

The perfect wildlife companion - everything you need to know about the countryside and the award-winning BBC TV show

Accompanies the BBC 2 TV Series

Springwatch

In this book, comedian Bill Oddie writes about the glory of birdwatching, offering both serious advice as well as hilarious anecdotes. He dissects the proper uniform for birdwatching, debates whether he'd liked to be called an "ornithologist" or a "bird spotter," and tells tales of the birdwatching trips he has taken across the globe.

Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book

Loved by millions of British TV viewers for the last four decades, national treasure Bill Oddie's autobiography has the same mass market appeal as Clarissa Dickson Wright's SPILLING THE BEANS.

One Flew into the Cuckoo's Egg

Whose first records were produced by George Martin, and who had two singles banned by the BBC? Who earned rare reviews on Broadway for his dancing? Who had his first clinical depression in his 60th year, and has only just discovered why? The answer to all of the above is Bill Oddie.

My Autobiography

One Flew Into the Cuckoo's Egg

A BBC series of live broadcasts direct from a 'hide', Bird in the Nest brought to vivid and dramatic life the progress of various species from chick to adulthood, with cameras actually placed in each nest whether it be the Peregrine's eyrie, almost halfway up a cliff face, or the Swallow's nest in an old stone barn, In this lavishly illustrated, and fact-filled book Bill Oddie and Peter Holden present the behind-the-scenes stories of the venture.

Bird in the Nest

Laura Beaumont

The Toilet Book

Whose first records were produced by George Martin, and who had two singles banned by the BBC? Who earned rare reviews on Broadway for his dancing? Who rode on the back seat of the Goodies’ trandem? Who has been called ‘Britain’s best-known birdwatcher’? Who had his first clinical depression in his 60th year, and has only just discovered why? Who has written an autobiography that is as witty, candid and unconventional as the man himself? Answer to all of the above – Bill Oddie Bill Oddie is best known for the wacky humour of the Goodies, and the irrepressible enthusiasm of his nature programmes, off screen there has been a darker side. Bill has suffered from bouts of depression which have more than once taken him to the brink. Now he is back in control and wiser about the causes and the cure. Here he describes the childhood blighted by the absence of his mother who had been committed to a mental asylum when he was small. It was a lonely and difficult start to life, but there were to be happier times. Touring with the Cambridge Footlights in the l960s saw him alongside the greatest comic talents of his generation – John Cleese and of course fellow Goodies Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden. Soon the Goodies were to become on of the biggest comedy hits of the 70s – bringing a new brand of surreal humour to our screens. Now as Britain’s favourite birdwatcher Bill has turned his private passion into his most public role and presented more than 20 nature programmes for the BBC. He has also become a fervent and outspoken campaigner for the environment. It has been an extraordinary and far from straightforward journey. Bill Oddie takes us along with him in a memoir which is as witty, candid, curious and unconventional as the man himself.

Bird-watchers are tense, competitive, selfish, shifty, dishonest, distrusting, boorish, pedantic, unsentimental, arrogant and - above all - envious'. So says Bill Oddie, and he should know! It's a tough environment out there on marsh and moorland, and this scurrilous little classic is a must for all devoted birders and twitchers (and as Bill relates, there is a mighty difference!). With years of hard-earned experience, Bill dares to say all the things that other b's and t's will recognize as true but which they have never dared to own up or admit to, even to themselves. Whether discussing the birds he's seen, the birds that got away, equipment, apparel, sightings, cock-ups, places to visit or people to avoid, Bill's enthusiasm is infectious, and his knowledge unsurpassed. This little black book is one item that no serious birdwatcher can afford to leave out of the rucksack, and it will prove an essential companion when trudging the estuaries and riverbanks, in torrential rain and gusty gale in search of that elusive rare beauty.

Bill Oddie

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