Stephen Moss

Stephen Moss is a naturalist, broadcaster, television producer and author. His distinguished career at the BBC Natural History Unit included working for Springwatch, Birds Britannia and The Nature of Britain. He is also Senior Lecturer in Nature and Travel Writing at Bath Spa University and is President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Stephen joins us to give a talk on his new book, Ten Birds that Changed the World

For the whole of human history, we have shared our world with birds. 

We have hunted and domesticated them for food, fuel and feathers; placed them at the heart of our rituals, religions, myths and legends; poisoned, persecuted and often demonised them; and celebrated them in our music, art and poetry.

Even today, despite a growing – and very worrying – disconnection between humanity and the rest of nature, birds continue to play an integral role in our lives.

In his new book, Stephen tells the gripping story of this long and eventful relationship through ten key species from all seven of the world's continents.

From Odin's faithful raven companions to Darwin's finches, and from the wild turkey of the Americas to the emperor penguin as potent symbol of the climate crisis, this is a fascinating, eye-opening and endlessly engaging work of natural history.