Born in 1857 in London, Maurice Charles Hilton Bird became one of the most outstanding natural historians of his generation. His family moved to Norfolk when he was a boy and he lived in the county until his death in 1924, serving as the rector for Brunstead (a village in the Broads) for half a century. He was a great polymath, his interests ranging far and wide to encompass most aspects of the natural world as well as archaeology, agriculture, traditional dialects and land management. James is currently working with the Bird family on a book that will celebrate this so-called “Gilbert White of the Broads” and his remarkable archive.