Life on the Wing

Book excerpt: From dainty avocets prancing along the seashore to panic-stricken waxwings frenziedly gobbling berries, from barking barnacle geese to soaring skylarks, Derwent May writes about birds in a very special way. As he goes in search of birdlife in a variety of places - the English lanes and rolling corn fields that he loves, the lonely Essex marshes, the remote bird-haunted islands of Grassholm and Fair Isle - May reveals just what it feels like to be a birdwatcher. With him, the reader will experience the excitement of fresh discoveries, the peace and contentment that birds can bring and the comedy to be found both in the behaviour of birds and the human response to them. May is an alert observer of avian habits and manners, describing them vividly and poetically, but underlying everything he writes is scientific knowledge and a wealth of experience. Employing all of these skills and drawing on his popular weekly 'Feather Reports' column from The Times, May creates a fascinating chronicle of a year in the life of our birds, from robins to rarities, with Peter Brown's illustrations adding the perfect finishing touch.