Swifts and Us: The Life of the Bird that Sleeps in the Sky

Product Information

All distributable profits from the RSPB's wholly owned subsidiary RSPB Sales Limited (registered office: The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, registered in England under company registration no. This latest edition, with a new chapter by Andrew Lack, brings the story of this remarkable bird into the twenty-first century.

We don’t have much to go on with swifts, but on some occasions Gibson glossed over the details of the studies we do have, which for someone desperate to know how swifts sleep and how they stop flies sticking to their eyeballs was quite annoying.

A jewel of a book -- Caroline Lucas MP Not just a glorious celebration of swifts but of their place amid the panoply of life on Earth. Reading that goes to the heart is more enjoyable than reading that goes to the filing cabinet, so when the swifts appeared near my new home, I wanted nothing more than to read everything I could about them. There are those like “Shenanigan” or “Atrocious” or “Candour” that are pretty quickly apparent even for a young reader. The sharp decline in insect numbers is a major concern, as well as the intensification of agriculture, climate change, and new houses or renovations that block up holes birds traditionally nest in.

Thanks to this book and efforts of other like-minded swifting people, a few more hearts and minds may be opened to the wonder of these birds, a few more swift boxes put up and more voices may well speak up for nature. He brings to this vast subject a scientist's rigour and a poet's expansive vision -- Philip Marsden * Spectator * A beautiful, brilliant, mind-stretching and soul-flying book. A single detective is fun, but a group of detectives with complementary skills and driving interpersonal dynamics? This is particularly the case when old buildings are renovated, or new blocks of flats are being built without provision for swifts to nest and rear their young.

A very engaging theme through the book is talking directly to those involved in studying Swifts, and their conservation in the UK and beyond, and so we read of the likes of the departed David Lack and Chris Mead, and of the still going strong Edward Mayer and Dick Newell amongst quite a lot of others. It’s also a murder mystery about inheritance, and it happens to be one of my all-time favorite books.

Posted in: book serendipity | Tagged: Abi Morgan, Alison Macleod, Anita Brookner, Ash Davidson, Australia, Benjamin Wood, Bonnie Garmus, book serendipity, buddy read, Carson McCullers, Cyrus Cassells, D. But inside, there is a series of wonderful photographs, by a variety of photographers, of Swifts in flight which make a fine addition to the text. Claire Powell is a bestselling children's book illustrator who got her first book deal in 2016 and has never looked back. Sarah is obviously passionate about swifts and their conservation and this comes through very clearly throughout the book and her points are well made.In between accounts of his spring walks, he tells lively stories of common birds’ anatomy, diet, lifecycle, migration routes, and vocalizations. A 1950s setting and a main character who is a man with missing fingers/arm in Cloudstreet by Tim Winton and The Young Accomplice by Benjamin Wood. When she isn't writing, Beth is woodcarving, or making a mess of her flat, or talking the nearest ear off about unexplained occurrences. Their actions and stories are woven into the narrative, demonstrating how change is brought about by passionate, determined individuals, whose actions show that everyone can do something to keep these superb birds screaming through our skies. And then there’s Fauna, one of the kindest Family members, whose identical twin is one of Shenanigan’s top suspects.