About the Book

In this autobiographical account of a lifetime spent observing, researching and photographing birds, Peter Steyn shares experiences that span some 70 years. His story starts and ends in Cape Town, South Africa, but in between we read about the 17 years he spent in Zimbabwe — his most productive in terms of ornithological research. His worldwide travels in a quest to study birds, his regular spells as a lecturer on cruise-ship voyages, trips from the Arctic to the Antarctic, to remote Southern Ocean islands and to several Indian Ocean islands and St Helena, travels also to the USA, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Ethiopia — all in pursuit of birds. His detailed and fascinating memoir captures the author’s great enthusiasm for birds and their role in his shaping his life and experiences. The book is well illustrated and features more than 400 photographs taken during Peter’s lifelong journey with birds.