Birdland

A Journey Around Britain on the Wing

De: Jon Gower

Narrado por: Jon Gower

A joyous celebration of Britain’s rich bird life

In Birdland, journalist and lifelong birder Jon Gower explores our intimate connection with the bird life around us. From the symphonic song of the wren to the clack of a puffin’s beak and from epic migrations to sunset murmurations, birds are commonplace miracles. No wonder they have inspired our artists, writers and songwriters. Whether rare or abundant, Jon Gower visits some of the best places in Britain to watch birds, searching for some species he has always wanted to see such as wryneck, dotterel and barred warbler.

But all is not well in Birdland. Gower charts the many changes to Britain’s bird life over the last 50 years, as the countryside has seemingly emptied and in many ways fallen silent. He considers the effects of the climate emergency, the decline in biodiversity and warming oceans on birdlife and looks at work being done to mitigate these developments. But above all it is a celebration of birds and their being, and a call to arms to defend them. As Great Bustards return to our plains and eagles to our mountains, Jon Gower’s book examines the future from a bird’s-eye view.

©2025 Jon Gower (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

'A delightful peregrination around our nation in search not just of birds, but also what birds mean to us; jam-packed with fascinating cultural, scientific and human stories.' Stephen Moss

'An intelligent, enchanting and uplifting book.' Tristan Gooley

'Follow the song and be plunged into a world where you will be charmed by birds. Full of knowledge and emotion, this is a wonderful journey to take alongside such an erudite and passionate writer.' Beccy Speight, CEO of the RSPB

‘A wonderfully descriptive avian journey around Britain with the erudite scribe, Jon Gower, at the wheel. At once witty, poignant and delightful, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.’ Iolo Williams

'A lovely book, born out of a deep affection for birds and a lifetime's fascination for them. Gower is the perfect guide, knowledgeable, inquisitive, passionate. It is a book as much about birds as it is about the pull birds exert over us.' James Macdonald Lockhart

'A powerful and vital antidote to that awful feeling of "the deadening of life on the planet". A truly beautiful book about birds and people, it is also a quiet masterpiece, by turns moving, funny and revelatory, about living in love with the world.' Horatio Clare

'This is Jon Gower in his absolute element – pursuing birds through landscape and language to every corner of Britain. Birdland tells stories of heartbreaking loss, but also of joy and determination, and the people fighting to save and celebrate our endangered species. It is charming, sobering, exquisitely observed and, above all, inspirational.' Tom Bullough

'This is magnificent. Jon Gower's patent love of humanity is the rare background to the art, culture, history and deep bird knowledge that make up his exhilarating story. It is a book that I never wanted to end.' Roger Morgan-Grenville

'A wonderful blend of anecdote and knowledge, brimming with curiosity and erudition and full of fascinating stories.' Lev Parikian