THE ACCIDENTAL BIRDWATCHER

A young schoolboy seeking ways to avoid cricket opts for birdwatching as an alternative school activity, only to be sucked deep into the avian world. A rare sighting of gannets at the Stanford Reservoir close to his school in England triggers for author Michael Spencer a life-long affair with birds. The book tells the story of this affair spanning nearly eight decades!

Travelling the world over as a Canadian film director and producer later, birdwatching for Spencer remained an important travel itinerary. His special connection to India include his wife Maqbool and the world of Indian birds she introduced him to through Birdman Salim Ali. Spencer's personal journeys assume public relevance as they hold a mirror toth e changes in birdwatching over the passage of time. His field notes and momentary scribbles about the birds he saw and how he felt come alive in an endearing way, at once highlighting the importance of such random jottings.