If you are really struggling to think of a Christmas present for that wildlife-friendly friend or relative – then how about a signed copy of Fighting for Birds? You’d make my Christmas too!
Signed copies are available at £15 (inc P&P). Email me at [email protected] and we’ll get it all organised. Don’t delay as Christmas is not that far away.
Fighting for Birds has been getting great reviews and there are more in the pipeline (see reviews below).
Or, if you are attending the BTO Conference at Swanwick then why not buy a copy from the NHBS book stall and ask me to sign it for you – I’ll be there on the Saturday.
Also available on Amazon where Fighting for Birds has been the best-selling wildlife conservation book on the site. Read the 14 5-star reviews by readers and then buy it yourself!
Reviews of Fighting for Birds:
Chris Packham in the book’s Foreword and on his website: …if you have any real interest in the workings of saving species and their habitats then it’s a tremendously rewarding ‘must read’ Full review
Bill Oddie in BBC Wildlife: it should be read by RSPB members past, present and potential – which means anyone interested in British conservation.
Stephen Moss in Birdwatch: ‘great fun to read‘, ‘What also marks this book out is Avery’s eye for a telling phrase to describe a key moment‘ and ‘a must read for anyone who cares about the future of birds on this crowded island‘. Full review
Mike Everett in British Birds: …it should be used to make a lot of people sit up and take notice. I also hope that the publishers can somehow sell thousands and thousands of copies.
Peter Marren in British Wildlife: It is wise, it is punchy, it is funny, it is thought-provoking, and best of all, it lives up to its title in showing how every inch of the way has, indeed, been a fight. Full review
Keith Betton in Birding World: I found myself agreeing with about 80% of his views, but regardless I learned a lot from his experiences.
Michael McCarthy, environment editor, Independent newspaper: Dr Avery, now Britain’s premier wildlife blogger, was thus at the very heart of all the conservation and wildlife protection battles of recent times, from windfarms to persecution of birds of prey by landowners. Indeed, he was a prime mover in many of them, and his spiky and opinionated account – there are quite a few people he doesn’t like – is not only immensely instructive, but gripping.‘ Full review
Rob Yorke in Countryfile magazine: Mark Avery is a troublemaker – but in a good way. Full review
The RSPB’s Martin Harper on his blog: The book is everything you’d expect from Mark: beautifully written, instructive, forthright and fun. Full review
Bo Beolens, fatbirder: I knew that Mark is a passionate conservationist, what I hadn’t really taken on board is what a fluent writer he is too. Full review
Andy Clements, CEO of the BTO: Chris Packham read it from start to finish without stopping – I took only two or three sittings. It’s a compelling read. A book of this nature, at its best, should inform, entertain, provoke thought, and even move the reader, and Mark managed all of these with me. Full review
John Miles in Birdwatching: Mark has done a great job writing his experiences and thoughts down, and any one interested in the natural world in any way will get something out of this book
Pete Etheridge, on his blog: Fighting for Birds is unlike any book I’ve read before. Factual, yes. Absorbing, as much as any novel. Opinionated, certainly. Pulls its punches – absolutely not. From the moment I picked it up, I struggled to put it down. This is not some glorified autobiography but a candid look back over 25 years spent working in nature conservation. Full review
Jon Dunn of Shetland Wildlife on Facebook: These are the carefully argued and clear opinions of a dedicated conservationist, and like the rest of this at times entertaining and always enjoyable book, they make for compelling and, dare I say it, essential reading. Full review
Anne Rogers on her website: a terrific book and a great read. Full review
Nicholas Milton on his website: if the RSPB wants more of its members and staff to engage with the issues that really count they could do a lot worse than to give away a copy of Mark’s book with membership and make it compulsory reading for any new member of staff joining the society. That would be a fitting tribute to his 25 years in the front line of conservation. Full review
The Friends of Charles Darwin website: Avery is also particularly good on the politics of conservation. Full review
Andrew Cameron blog: very good, very interesting and…enlightening. Full review
Please take a moment to complete this Readers’ Survey – there are only 12 questions and they are all very simple (click here).
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What I think makes Fighting for Birds so important is the woeful lack of books about how Nature Conservation really happens – there are shelves and shelves about the birds and birdwatching. There is huge (justified) respect for the scientists who focus in ever closer to discover the secrets of birds lives that allow us to conserve them. But there is very little about how that science gets turned into real conservation – and as Mark shows so well, it is a very different world from the often narrow, focussed world of the specialist scientist: making conservation happen means engaging with the real world, power, economics, deeply entrenched, often self-interested opinions and it is a real trial to anyone who has deep, disinterested views on the future of the planet. This has to be one of the very best books ever explaining not just how it happens but what it feels like, too.
Roderick – very kind of you.
Think it would sell a lot better if you gave it a plug Mark.
Seriously think you have done very well and nice to see you getting proof from the sales of all the good work you have put in over the years.Think it was funny in the book you could laugh that think it was a parson observing Bats came to exactly the same conclusion to your scientific study.
Dennis – I hadn’t thought of that… Thanks for the tip!
Mark,as well as everything else you are even funnier than me.
’tis the season and all that, why don’t you send a few copies for xmas to some individuals and bookmark pages for them to read maybe specific to the person/people in questions and my suggestions would be Boris Johnson, Nick Clegg, David Cameron, Owen Patterson and DEFRA 🙂
Douglas – read my blog on Tuesday…