Living with Birds

Len Howard forged extraordinary relationships with the birds in her Sussex garden during the 1950s. Her work is both groundbreaking and beautiful.

This book tells the story of one exceptional great tit that Len called Star. With patience, consistency and sensitivity, Len succeeds in teaching this little bird to count using taps. Star's character and intelligence is revealed in this intimate bird biography, unlike any told before. In opening her home to wild birds, Len gains their trust enough to make astonishing discoveries about their capabilities.

Full of joy and wonder, as well as deep knowledge and fascinating detail, Living with Birds also takes in the story of a lame fledgling, tales of great tit parents and their babies, observations of migrant birds, and how exactly Len succeeded in developing such unusual relationships with wild birds.

'Howard seems to have stood on the brink of communication with a wild bird, something till now hardly conceivable...awe-inspiring' Observer