Goshawk Summer: The Diary of an Extraordinary Season in the Forest - WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2022

£9.9
FREE Shipping

Goshawk Summer: The Diary of an Extraordinary Season in the Forest - WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2022

Goshawk Summer: The Diary of an Extraordinary Season in the Forest - WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2022

RRP: £99
Price: £9.9
£9.9 FREE Shipping

In stock

We accept the following payment methods

Description

James Aldred filmed a family of goshawks in the New Forest over the course of the summer in the middle of a global pandemic. I found this book really interesting and as well as the goshawks, pine martins, foxes and other animals are mentioned which make it even more fascinating.

Sunday book review – Goshawk Summer by James Aldred Sunday book review – Goshawk Summer by James Aldred

The book, as you might expect, has a pretty single-minded focus. Yet there are plenty of asides into other topics like the history of the New Forest, or the population fluxes of different bird species, which I found myself relishing and appreciating. Aldred teaches the reader by stealth, and the science he slips in is never overwhelming. The narrative flows effortlessly. For such a large bird they can be particularly elusive and secretive and can remain in an area for some time without being detected by the casual observer. However at certain times of the year they can be very noisy, in the spring when they are establishing their nesting territory and also in the late summer when fledged young are calling for food. James Aldred ist Kameramann und Filmemacher, der sich auf das Filmen von Tieren spezialisiert hat. Er hat mit Sir Richard Attenborough zusammengearbeitet und hat für seine Dokumentation einen Emmy bekommen. Im Frühling und Sommer 2020 hatte er die einmalige Chance, das Nest eines Habichts von der Ankunft der Eltern bis zum Flüggewerden der Jungen unter besonderen Bedingungen zu filmen. Award-winning documentary film-maker James Aldred spent the spring and summer of 2020 filming Goshawks in the New Forest, his childhood home. This book, presented in an extended diary form, catalogues the author’s time with the Goshawks and many of the Forest’s other inhabitants. The text is punchy, with short, sometimes staccato sentences and delivers a very personal take on these magnificent birds, and much else besides. The diary format means that the text jumps around a bit, presenting the reader with short accounts of other encounters – a swan on the A36, an active Buzzard nest down the slope from where he is filming – so don’t expect a developing central narrative. Having said that, this is still an interesting read, full of closely observed detail of Goshawk behaviour and the world of the wildlife film-maker. Francis, I. and Cook, M. (2011). (Eds.). The Breeding Birds of Northeast Scotland. Scottish Ornithologists� Club, Aberdeen.Petty, S.J. (2002). Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis. In Wernham, C.V., Toms, M.P., Marchant, J.H., Clark, J.A., Siriwardena, G.M. and Baillie, S.R. (Eds.). The Migration Atlas: Movements of the Birds of Britain and Ireland. Poyser, London. Pp. 232-234.

Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other

Aldred writes well, really summoning the feel and atmosphere of a sultry sinking sun or a dewy morning or a misty hazy day. His job sounds incredibly tedious at times yet so so rewarding for the glimpses into species that we wouldn't otherwise encounter. His discussions of foxes, curlews, deer and badgers amongst others are magical. The cover? I’m not keen on the greenish hue and the design doesn’t do much for me – I’d give it 5/10.

Wo sonst Scharen von Tagestouristen unterwegs sind, gab es plötzlich nur noch ihn, seinen Kameramann und den Ranger. Auf der einen Seite waren es perfekte Bedingungen weil sie ungestört waren, Auf der anderen Seite fielen die drei Männer so aber den Vögeln mehr auf, eben weil sie die einzigen waren, die sich im Wald aufhielten und so unter ständiger Beobachtung standen. As well as the goshawk nest, he also visits a fox den to film the cubs tumbling and play fighting, the lowland heath to spy the elusive Dartford Warbler and the valley mires to record the increasingly rare sight of curlews nesting. Passionate about wildlife of all types, his prose is beautiful and evocative: Supposedly their population is increasing, the one thing that suggests their situation isn’t as dire as the hen harrier’s, but I really wonder about that. A pole trap set in dense woodland is probably even harder to spot than one on a moor and would be devastating for goshawks. I can imagine them gravitating towards the same places they shoot pheasants at anyway, all those poults would be an additional attraction – some lost to goshawk grudged whereas beak to tail roadkill is acceptable. Goshawk do need more attention. Wildlife books are also ways of engaging discussion about our interaction with nature and finding a balance between enjoying the natural landscape and preserving its integrity. These environments are not just for our own use but primarily for the creatures who live there and depend on its resources. Petty, S.J. (1996). History of Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilisin Britain. InHolmes, J.S. and Simons, J.R. (Eds.). The Introduction and Naturalisation of Birds. The Stationery Office, London. Pp. 95-102.

Goshawk | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology Goshawk | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology

The Scottish population has benefited from the large forests such as those owned by the Forestry Commission. Here there is no persecution and the birds nest with little disturbance. However, despite the high level of legal protection given to the goshawk, its spread from these large forests into some of the surrounding privately owned woodlands has been restricted due to persecution. Goshawks regularly occupy these woodlands but many are killed after capture in cage traps set legally for corvids. Those that evade capture attempt to breed but some are then shot at the nest so breeding in these woods rarely persists for long. I wrote this book whilst filming wildlife in the New Forest during the spring and summer of 2020. A time when the world was filled with uncertainty and nature provided a welcome respite. Goshawks are present year-round but recorded most often in late winter/early spring during spring aerial displays. Then again , i know an area of loosely joined woodland that once or twice held four nests, more usually three, mostly successful, now down to one for at least the last three years, and they dont seem to be anywhere else round about.

Magical and transporting. James Aldred's account of a season spent filming Britain's most powerful and mesmerising avian predator shines with the shifting complexities of weather, season, mood and place. In these dark times, it's a beautiful and deeply evocative hymn to love, hope and connection."



  • Fruugo ID: 258392218-563234582
  • EAN: 764486781913
  • Sold by: Fruugo

Delivery & Returns

Fruugo

Address: UK
All products: Visit Fruugo Shop