When you think about going bird-watching, you imagine visiting magnificent open countryside, rolling hills, lush woodland, or waterlogged marshes. You don't think of towns and cities. In fact, the urban environment is surprisingly rich in birds: parks, gardens, scrubland, lakes, and reservoirs all harbor many species of birds. Some town gardens even have bigger lists of birds than country gardens do.

Since 2006, a long-running series of articles has appeared in Birdwatching magazine, showcasing David Lindo visiting a wide variety of cities in Britain and Europe and the birds he has encountered on these short city breaks. These articles are collected here for the first time--most of them expanded with new material but also, featuring a few never before published. They cover visits to many cities throughout the world and the striking variations among them.

This book is not a compendium of birding sites within many of the world's cities. It is a series of adventures featuring birds and inspiring stories. Above all, it is hoped that this book will inspire you to look at cities with different eyes, to appreciate the diversity of wildlife wherever you are, and realize the importance of the conservation message.