Most people dream of packing in their humdrum city life, selling up and heading off into the unknown for a life of adventure. For Ruth Miller and Alan Davies this dream became a reality, but with a twist; they decided to pack in their jobs, sell their house and take on the ultimate birder's challenge - to smash the world record for the number of species seen in one calendar year. This book is the story of their great expedition, searching for birds from Ecuador to Ethiopia via Argentina, Australia and Arizona. In Australia their route included sites in WA, Qld, NSW, Tasmania, Victoria and Ayers Rock and they saw a total of 450 bird species, 400 of which were new for their list. Species included the Australian Bustard at Mount Carbine (Qld), and the Australian Shelduck, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Welcome Swallow, Galah, Western Rosella and Crested Shrike-Tit in Western Australia. Follow their birding odyssey as they notch up the species and the stamps in their passports, sharing amazing birding experiences such as monkey-hunting Harpy Eagles in the Brazilian rain forest, seedsnipes in the Peruvian highlands and lekking bustards in South Africa, all leading to the ultimate question- will they break the magic 4,000? Written in an accessible style, this book will be of great interest to birders, lovers of travel literature and anyone simply enjoys a good adventure.… (more)