Good Reading: Quest for the Capercaillie

Victoria James’ description of her quest to see the elusive Capercaillie, a very large, rare grouse found only in the ancient Caledonian pine forest of the Scottish Highlands, begins simple enough: 

Right now, in pubs across the country, you will hear earnest knots of men – and maybe a few women – discussing lifers. They’re not off-duty prison officers, or the local chapter of Amnesty International. They’re birdwatchers.

She goes on to tell a wonderfully observant tale of her and thirty other birders’ single-minded pursuit to find this rare bird. Her pseudo-scientific descriptions of a territorial male birder amuse.

For this is the dark secret of birders, normally the most affable people alive: until the target has been spotted, it’s every man for himself. Like the object of his fascination, the male birder is both competitive and highly territorial…

Read more at the New Statesman:

Hardcore birding by Victoria James >>