The Anglo-Ethiopian Society
Book Club - The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World
Vernon R. L. Head
Tuesday 23rd August 2016
7:30pm, National Theatre, Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PX - all welcome
The Society's book club will discuss The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World by Vernon R. L. Head.
In 1990 an expedition of Cambridge scientists arrived at the Plains of Nechisar, tucked between the hills of the Great Rift Valley in the Gamo Gofa province of Ethiopia. On that expedition, 315 species of birds were seen as well as many other animals and plants. Additionally, the wing of a road-killed bird was packed into a brown paper bag. At the British Natural History Museum in Tring, the wing set the world of science aflutter. It seemed that the wing was unique, but they questioned, can you name a species for the first time based only on the description of just one wing? After much to and fro, confirmation was unanimous, and the new species was announced, Nechisar Nightjar, Caprimulgus solala. Twenty-two years later an expedition of four led by Ian Sinclair set off to try to find this rarest bird in the world. Vernon R.L. Head captivates and enchants as he tells of the adventures of Ian, Dennis, Gerry and himself as they navigate the wilderness of the plains, searching by spotlight for the elusive Nechisar Nightjar.
The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World is available in hardback (ISBN 9781909930315).
We will meet in The Long Bar on the ground floor of the National Theatre.
If you would like to attend, or want further information, please email the Book Club.
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The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World by Vernon R.L. Head. Publisher: Signal Books Ltd, 2015. Hardcover: ISBN:9781909930315 Price: £14.99 |