Gods of the Morning: A Bird's Eye View of a Highland Year - Hardcover

Sir John Lister-Kaye

4.26

279 ratings by Goodreads

9781782114154: Gods of the Morning: A Bird's Eye View of a Highland Year

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1782114157 ISBN 13: 9781782114154

Publisher: Canongate Books, 2015

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

'I love this book . . . No one writes more movingly, or with such transporting poetic skill, about encounters with wild creatures. Its pages course with sympathy, humility and wisdom' HELEN MACDONALD, H is for Hawk

For more than three decades, John Lister-Kaye has been enraptured by the spectacular seasonal metamorphosis at Aigas, the world-renowned Highlands field centre. Over the years, the glen's wildlife has come to infiltrate his soul, whether it is a warbling blackcap's cascading refrains, whooper swans hauling winter along with them, pine martens causing havoc in the hen run, loyal resident tawny owls defending their territory from adolescents, or a regal roe buck strutting in the broom and gorse, suddenly gilded by a fiery ray of sunlight.

John Lister-Kaye has come to understand intimately the movements of these beloved creatures, but increasingly unpredictable weather patterns have caused sometimes subtle, sometimes seismic shifts in their behaviour. Gods of the Morning follows a year through the turning of the seasons at Aigas, exploring the habits of the Highland animals, and in particular the birds - his gods of the morning - for whom he has nourished a lifelong passion.

Gods of the Morning is an affectionate and wise celebration of the British landscape and the birds that come and go through the year, a lyrical reminder of the relationship we have lost with the seasons and a call to look afresh at the natural world around us.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

"I love this book. It quickens the heart with hope and wrests real beauty from keen observations of the natural world. If only we could all be as attentive to the life around us as John Lister-Kaye. No one writes more movingly, or with such transporting poetic skill, about encounters with wild creatures. Its pages course with sympathy, humility and wisdom" (HELEN MACDONALD author of H IS FOR HAWK)

"Compelling . . . a tour de force of forensic observation and imaginative reconstruction. The prose carries a deep, rich polish" (Mark Cocker Spectator)

"Gods of the Morning is a rich treasury of secrets stolen from the Highlands, seen through the eyes of a great naturalist" (CHRIS PACKHAM)

"I am addicted to the writings of John Lister-Kaye. Reading this book is to be at his side on the hills of Scotland. You can practically smell the leaf mould and stare in the merlin's eyes" (JOANNA LUMLEY)

"Exquisitely observed and deeply evocative, Gods of the Morning is a joyful affirmation of the changing seasons, the wonders of wildlife and the value of living close to nature. Generous, poetic and wise, John Lister-Kaye is a national treasure" (PATRICK BARKHAM author of BADGERLANDS)

"This book has a beating heart. Intimate, sweetly sorrowful and sharply observed, Gods of The Morning will open hearts and minds with its blend of vitality, wonder and wisdom. This book is just what we need right now: a song that calls up and re-enchants the world in which we live. John Lister-Kaye's writing enfolds a conservation-scientist's eye with the soul of a poet. This book embodies all the cherished sounds and sights of the turning seasons and becomes a blessing, a prayer for protection" (MIRIAM DARLINGTON author of OTTER COUNTRY)

"The gods of the morning, according to Virgil, are birds. They are regarded with reverence by naturalist John Lister-Kaye . . . He keeps a seasoned eye on the seasonal behaviour of birds, logging unusual variations in their migration and nesting patterns, and developing a wry sense of their character . . . Though Lister-Kaye warns of the damage caused by humankind, and sometimes strikes an elegiac note, he sings full-throatedly in praise of the persistence of nature" (The Times)

"Renowned conservationist John Lister-Kaye finds as much drama tracking the creatures of his garden in the Highlands as watching polar bears cross frozen ice packs near the North Pole. Whether it's the clever pine marten trying to find a way into its hen-house or the wild geese flocking south from the Arctic, John can see it all from the windows of his home. And he has fallen in love with these moments of everyday adventures . . . Gods of the Morning follows a year in the Highlands seen through the eyes of someone who's learned to notice what others pass by without a second glance" (Sunday Mail)

"A wonderful piece of writing" (The Times)

"John Lister-Kaye invites us to range deep into an extraordinary landscape, then soar over it and sense it change. Gods of the Morning is a triumph in nature writing" (TRISTAN GOOLEY author of THE NATURAL NAVIGATOR)

Book Description:

A lyrical celebration of British birds that tracks a year in the wild from respected naturalist and conservationist John Lister-Kaye

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.