Birds in Our Life

David and Barbara Snow were outstanding figures in ornithology during the last 60 years. David was Director of Research at the BTO during 1964–68, playing a major part in developing its scientific approach. Any account of their lives would be interesting; this one is fascinating. It is not a conventional autobiography: the birds that they studied (and how they studied them) are the focus of attention; their own lives are little more than relevant background. Intensive observation of the species on which they worked was the key to their success, so that they discovered fascinating natural history that might have been missed by many modern workers, intent on amassing as many ‘data’ in as short a time as possible. The book is replete with what they found, especially their work on birds in South America, uncovering the relationships between the birds, their behaviour and their diets. The same theme was followed in Britain, with early studies of the unusual social arrangements of Dunnocks and the work that led to their book Birds and Berries. A very good read.

Book reviewed by Jeremy Greenwood