There is a certain magical tone to the voice of a nightingale, that can only be truly known when directly experienced. The joyful variety of its song (although some would say melancholic), of overwhelming amplitude given its small size, dominates the audiosphere of those places fortunate enough to play host to this melodious passerine. OnContinueContinue reading “A Nightingale Walk”
Category Archives: birds
Grey Plover
This weekend I was visited by my friend and fellow AFON committee member Matt Williams. We got together to continue work on an exciting project of which I hope to be able to divulge more information before long. It was a beautiful bright spring day on the Essex coast and we took a midday walkContinueContinue reading “Grey Plover”
Book Review: ‘A Sweet Wild Note’ by Richard Smyth
When I turned the pages of this book for the first time, as when I open any new book, I couldn’t help but smell that gloriously comforting and inviting aroma of freshly published manuscript. All pages have their own smell, but it is something that few of us truly appreciate. Similarly, all landscapes have theirContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘A Sweet Wild Note’ by Richard Smyth”
Action Needed to Protect the Curlew
The evocative call of the Eurasian Curlew is a unique and special sound that could be a thing of the past if sufficient action is not taken to prevent the decline of this iconic species. My own local area, on the north Essex coast, still has a good deal of suitable habitat for their overwinteringContinueContinue reading “Action Needed to Protect the Curlew”
Book Review: ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald
Before reading this book I knew very little of the life of TH White, acclaimed author of The Sword in the Stone (1938) and schoolmaster at Stowe for many years. He is a central character in Helen Macdonald’s story, for he was a trainer of hawks, and published The Goshawk, with a mixed reception, in 1951. Macdonald readContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald”
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