John Gooders (1 Viewer)

[DunnoKev]

Very sorry to hear that John passed away last night after a long illness. In his day he was a prolific writer and although now many of his books are 'of their time' his first 'Where to Watch..' books helped set quite a few of us off on our travels, and in recent years snippets like his 'Gooders' Gold' column in Birdwatching magazine could always be relied upon to rustle a few feathers.

I'll certainly miss bumping into him in and around the East Sussex lanes from now on. My condolences to Robbie.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Sad one this, so far not heard anything on the media about it though. Condolences to his family.
I too have John's 'Where to Watch Birds' and it guided me to Cley for my first visit there in the early 80's as well as Minsmere and Radipole.

 

[Strandman]

Sad one this, so far not heard anything on the media about it though. Condolences to his family.
I too have John's 'Where to Watch Birds' and it guided me to Cley for my first visit there in the early 80's as well as Minsmere and Radipole.

Very sorry to hear that. He was a real innovator- hard to credit just how far ahead of the game he was when the first Where to Watch Birds came out. Fond memories in the pre-scanner era of having a spare copy to tear out country sections as required- sacrilege but I am sure he would have approved.

 

[Farnboro John]

I too made use of a prehistoric "Where to Watch Birds" full of suggestions on where to see Red-backed Shrikes, Corncrakes and other stuff gone on ahead of John. A great pioneer and a sad loss to all of us.

John

 

[deboo]

Sad news :-(
I bought a cheep old copy of his "Where to watch birds in Europe" from a place up in the Peaks some years ago and it's still a good read. Helped me find places/birds in Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and France.
Top man indeed.

dave...

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

That's really sad. His 'Where to Watch Birds' books were inspirational to me as a kid. They perhaps seem a bit old-fashioned in this 'information rich' age but they were really innovative and important in their time. It still excites me to visit places that I first read about in WTWB.

 

[DunnoKev]

I'm sure the media will pick up on it shortly, it was just last night.

Strange you should mention that map of Cley Keith, as that has been the image that keeps coming back to me today as well. I used to pop in the local library armed with notebook and copy chunks of the book out week by week. I always used to stare at Cley and hope I'd get to go there one day. (And by the time I did I had my own second-hand copy which came along with me.)

 

[Merlin]

I was lucky enough to go with John & Robbie to the Gambia & the French Lakes many years ago.
I also met John & Robbie in Donana where he was in the Hotel reception, I was in the process of booking in when John came over and secured a discounted rate for me as his party was in the same Hotel.
Later we sat in the bar until the early hours whilst he gave me all the local information about what to see and where.
I predictably saw many birds that I had only previously hoped to see, this was always the case when John was arouind.
My sincere condolences to Robbie (and his daughter that I met in Africa.)

with sadness
Merlin

 

[Brian Stone]

A fond farewell from another birder familar with the man via my bookshelves. Hard to comprehend just how much of a positive influence such a person can have. Just add up all the memories of great days birding at home and abroad achieved with the help of his work. Thanks!

 

[RecoveringScot]

I met JG on the raptor hills in Istanbul back in I think 1995. He was leading one of his tours at the time. An extremely nice chap, and quite funny.

Cheers

 

[nickderry]

very sad to hear, one of the people that my own knowledge is better for my bookshelf having known him.

 

[John Cantelo]

Very sad news indeed. Whilst most may think first of his 'Where to watch .. " books he was a real pioneer in other fields too - arguably the UK's greatest recent populariser of our hobby. His multi-part encyclopedia was quite remarkable for the time and it's a shame that the glossy magazine that followed was simply too far ahead of its time. It was John Gooders who paved the way for magazines such as 'Birdwatch' and 'Birdwatching'. His field guides weren't bad either and I still dip into his excellent 'Birds that Came Back',

 

[StuartReeves]

I can only echo the thoughts of previous posters about this sad news. In this internet age it is difficult to comprehend just how influential the original WTWB books were. I still dip into the Europe guide now and again, and it still makes me want to visit a few more of the sites that are covered.

 

[Tim Gooders]

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all those that have so far left comment and memory of my father. These have brought such warmth to his family. We know that his books and passion for ornithology helped many get joy from birding, across the globe. One of my recent memories was spending a day last spring with John watching Hobbies feeding on Romney Mash Kent, just proving you don't have to travel far, to see great birds. Again thanks and please share your memories.

 

[njlarsen]

I have never met John Gooders in person, but as a young beginner in birdwatching (and living in Denmark) it was great when I lay my hands on the Europe version of his "Where to watch". That led to some very nice places which, without that book, would have been almost impossible to find information on in the pre-internet age.

And Tim, welcome to Birdforum, I am sorry that it was such a sad event that led you here.

Niels

 

[RecoveringScot]

Times Obit today:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article7139335.ece

Cheers

 

[username]

Only just noticed this....very sad indeed...condolences to the family.

I never met John Gooders but whenever i see his original WTWB's book with it's white cover n bins...it brings back so many great memories.

I remember feeling the excitement reading the pages for the first time...and the anticipation of visiting the hallowed ground of Cley for the first time...the territory of 'the tribe' that came to be.....


A sad loss....but i'll raise a glass to Mr.Gooders....his book was part of the 'beginning' for many of us.....B

 

[Capercaillie71]

Missed this thread as I was away last week. When I was a child in the late 70s and early 80s I was fortunate that my parents took me on many touring holidays across Europe. I always took a copy of Where to Watch Birds in Europe with me and my parents would often make detours so that I could visit some of the sites that I read about. As others have said, it may be hard for younger birders to appreciate that this one book was the only source of information about birdwatching sites on the continent. I am very grateful to have benefited from John Gooders' pioneering work, and extend my condolences to his family.

 

[Jos Stratford]

A great man, his legacy will continue for a generation to come.

 

[Adey Baker]

I, also missed this thread first time. Can I just say how much John's book 'How To Watch Birds' meant to me when starting out on this great hobby of ours. Lots of interesting stuff laid out in an accessible way - in fact all you needed to know to get you going, including a week-by-week guide of where best to go for every week of the year!

R.I.P. John.