A Sky Full of Birds

Jan 21, 2025 4:55 AM

Author:Matt Merritt

A Sky Full of Birds

'Prose from a poet and a personal take on the spectacles' Chris Packham, author of Fingers in the Sparkle Jar

Shortlisted for Richard Jefferies Society & White Horse Bookshop Literary Prize 2017

Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2017

Britain is a nation of bird-lovers. However, few of us fully appreciate the sheer scale, variety and drama of our avian life. From city-centre hunters to vast flocks straight out of the Arctic wilderness, much-loved dawn songsters to the exotic invaders of supermarket car parks, a host of remarkable wildlife spectacles are waiting to be discovered right outside our front doors.

In A Sky Full of Birds, poet and nature writer Matt Merritt shares his passion for birdwatching by taking us to some of the great avian gatherings that occur around the British isles – from ravens in Anglesey and raptors on the Wirral, to Kent nightingales and Scottish capercaillies. By turns lyrical, informative and entertaining, he shows how natural miracles can be found all around us, if only we know where to look for them.

A Sky Full of Birds is the perfect read for avid birdwatchers and a beautiful gift for lovers of nature and poetic prose.

Reviews

Prose from a poet

—— Chris Packham , author of Fingers in the Sparkle Jar

Compelling...a timely reminder of why [birds] matter so much to so many of us

—— Stephen Moss , author of Wild Hares and Hummingbirds

Beautifully written...informative and entertaining

—— NFU Countryside Magazine

Eloquent and infectious

—— Literary Review

Fascinating

—— The Countryman magazine

Fascinating…peppered with personal anecdotes, historical facts and myths to create a literary tapestry

—— David Lindo, author of The Urban Birder

Exhilarating…vibrant and vivid

—— Stuart Winter, author of Tales of a Tabloid Twitcher

Delightful and insightful

—— Dominic Couzens, author of Tales of Remarkable Birds

His latest book, A Sky Full of Birds, delights in the simple joys of birding in this country.

—— Joe Shute, Telegraph

Fluid, imaginative and poetic yet full of facts...Great stuff

—— Bo Beolens , Fatbirder

An intensely personal journey and a celebration of the restorative powers of nature

—— Rob Lambert , BBC Wildlife Magazine

This beautifully written book will transport you to a world where birdwatching is more than just ticking a species off a list. Matt Merritt writes from the heart and takes us on a very personal journey around Britain

—— Countryside

A book that explores why we hardly ever spend time on our own – and why we should.

—— The Pool

In this beautifully wrought and engrossing meditation, Michael Harris observes how hard it is to find solitude in our buzzing, interconnected world.

—— Jury of the RBC Taylor Prize

We should remind ourselves that a life without solitude is a diminished life. What makes this book so valuable and so timely is that it serves both as a reminder of solitude’s worth and as a spur to resistance.

—— Nicholas Carr, author of THE SHALLOWS

There are now plenty of self-help books that recommend a balanced media diet, but none articulates than need as simply or profoundly as this exploration of solitude.

—— Bookseller

Michael Harris’s Solitude is a delightful reminder that, contrary to current wisdom, we cannot be fully human unless our minds are free to wander. An essential and spirited companion as our digital culture accelerates into the unknown.

—— Andrew Westoll, author of THE CHIMPS OF FAUNA SANCTUARY

Reading Harris’s book is like smashing your Google Glasses and looking through your unique lenses for the first time. This enjoyable, quirky probe into current brain science, psychology, and philosophy hugely contributes to the global ‘Great Turning’ toward a more diverse, durable future of freer people enjoying themselves more, both together and alone.

—— William Powers, author of NEW SLOW CITY: LIVING SIMPLY IN THE WORLD’S FASTEST CITY

This is an excellent book by a first-rate writer. Michael Harris brings his insight and eloquence to bear on one of the most insidious problems of our time: how to break free from the seductions of technology and reclaim our inner selves.

—— Deborah Campbell, author of A DISAPPEARANCE IN DAMASCUS

In a time of unrelenting connection, solitude becomes a radical act. It also becomes an essential one. Michael Harris makes a thoughtful and deeply felt case for why the art of spending quality time with oneself matters now more than ever – and the steps we can take to reclaim it.

—— Brian Christian, author of ALGORITHMS TO LIVE BY

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