How to See Birds

Book excerpt: Foreword by Martin Harper, Global Conservation Director, RSPBThe author is a TV and radio broadcaster, with a large followingFeatures a wide range of birds, from the common woodpigeon to exotic South African sunbirdsTakes the reader on a brilliantly written, personal journeyThe perfect book for the amateur bird-watcherWhen we see a bird, do we really see it? It's perfectly possible to go through life with an almost total disregard for birds. However, in Britain, there are more than a million members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. And thanks to Instagram - and other networking sites - there is also a growing number of bird photographers opening our eyes to unimagined treasures.From the giants of our skies to the sweetest singing garden warbler, from Matthew Stadlen's London street to the Indian jungle and taking in countries as far afield as Albania and Australia, this book is, in a way, also a story of his life. Starting with the smallest bird in each chapter and building towards the biggest, and using his photographs as a guide, How to See Birds takes us on a very personal bird-watching journey and in the process, helps us to see birds - to really see birds!