Life with Birds

'Each chapter begins with a personal anecdote, set around Smith's own encounters with bird's places, and peoples, ranging from the USA to Iceland, Egypt to India, France to Thailand, Libya to Spain, as well as his home ground, and it is from these foundations that are the chapters evolve into rewarding, energetic explorations of our relationships with birds. ...Smith has sought out an array of lesser-known examples, and his text is worth mining for these alone. ...I can only recommend Malcolm Smith's Life with Birds as a vivid tour through examples old and new, familiar and unfamiliar, and as a valuable introduction to our wider cultural interrelationships with the birds.' IBIS 'This is a fascinating book... ...it leaves you with a genuine sense of the richness of the many points of contact we have with birds...' Scottish Birds '...it is refreshing to read this account, where the balance is maintained with numerous examples of how birds have learned, or evolved, to exploit us and our human landscapes and structures. ... A refreshingly balanced look at the relationships between us and the birds around us.' BTO 'Malcolm Smith has done an incredible job in analysing and summarising the many ways in which birds and people interact with each other. ... The author has amassed a treasure-trove of facts and figures... ... In a style which moves easily between anecdote, statistic and historic or other truth he succeeds admirably in conveying the breadth and depth of all the things we do to and with birds. ...it is packed with the curious and the thought-provoking. Its fascination itself mirrirs and endless fascination that we have for birds.' ECOS '...a thorough and all-embracing examination of our interdependence with birds: our exploitation of them and their expoitation of us. ... Malcolm Smith's intriguing narrative is both informative and constantly engaging.' Birding World '...Malcolm Smith's fascinating book, gives a vivid vignette of the islanders' relationship with birds, one of countless such case studies... ...his book is a terrific read.' Cage & Aviary Birds '...the book covers this fascinating relationship and, although rather more about the domestic relationship than the rural lore of wildbirds, it still covers a lot of ground. ...people will find this thoroughly entertaining and informative.' Fatbirder '...he ranges widely across the field of direct human-bird interactions. ... I'm sure any reader will find something new.' Natur Cymru

Dr. Smith is a biologist and former Chief Scientist at the Countryside Council for Wales and is currently a Board Member of The Environment Agency. He is a prolific writer on wildlife, environment and travel and has had numerous features published in a variety of magazines and newspapers.