Since 1972 Mark Cocker has been a member of a community of obsessional people, almost all male, who sacrifice most of their spare time, a good deal of money, sometimes their chances of a partner or family, even occasionally their lives, for birds, Birders is the story of this community, of its characters, its rules, its equipment (only a certain type of notebook will do) and its adventures - often hilariously funny, Birders is also a work of love - the story of what birds can do to the human heart.