Footprints in the Woods: The Secret Life of Forest and Riverbank

by John Lister-Kaye

The elusive lives of otters, beavers, badgers, weasels and more are rendered in John Lister-Kaye's enchanting lyrical style Footprints in the Woods is John Lister-Kaye's account of a year spent observing the comings and goings of otters, beavers, badgers, weasels and pine martens. This family - Mustelidae - all live in the wild at Aigas, the conservation and field study centre John calls home.

With the patient and meticulous care of a true naturalist, John observes and records the lives, habits and habitats of these elusive animals. Hours of careful waiting and watching in the woods and loch, the river, fields and moorland is rewarded with insight into how these animals live when unhindered by human interference; sometimes red in tooth and claw, but often playful, familial, curious and surprising.

As a boy, badgers and weasels were John's first encounter with wild animals, now he has spent fifty years living side-by side with them in the Highlands and come to know much of their ways. Footprints in the Woods is the culmination of that long association with the Mustelidae family, a love letter to the otters, beavers, badgers, weasels and pine martens that also call Aigas home, and a reminder of the fragility of habitat and the beauty and variety we have to lose if we don't choose to actively protect it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Natural History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2023

About the author

Sir John Philip Lister Lister-Kaye, 8th Baronet, OBE (b. 1946) is an English naturalist, conservationist, author who is owner and director of the Aigas Field Centre, among other business interests. He is married with four children and has lived in the Highlands of Scotland since 1969.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Lister-Kaye is one of the best nature writers out there, having dedicated his life to the study of wildlife, he shares with us the immense knowledge he has gained and this book doesn't disappoint, there is so much to learn as Lister-Kaye shows us how to wait for the animals to come to you, how to enter a zen like state, thus becoming invisible to those that you are watching. He shares those moments in his life that moulded him into the man he became, the diary-like entries of him raising a young weasel he found when a lad was fantastic, taking the weasel to school with him and hiding it in his desk from the teachers was pure class.

The animal watching in this book take place at The Aigas Field Centre that Lister-Kaye set up, the animals in this book have also made this place their home, it's an impressive achievement and one day I would love to visit. This book covers the following animals, Weasel, Pine Marten, Badger, Beavers and Otters...of these the only one I have seen alive in the wild was a weasel as it legged it down the road, it's really sad that I've never witnessed a badger out in the wild, there must be some near me, this book has definitely inspired me to look into this. The standout animal for me was the Pine Marten, I've not read anything about these creatures before and it was fascinating to witness them through Lister-Kaye's eyes, he has such a poetic way with words it was as if I was there. Another fine moment in this book was the 3.30am start along the river looking for Otters, a truly magical moment that was captured in a way that very few writers could.

A remarkable book by a remarkable man, one that everybody should read, it is so inspirational that it will get you out there on the hunt for these nocturnal members of the Mustelidae family.

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2023...

[Nannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I was so thrilled when I found this book online—an entire book about mustelid species! It doesn't get better than that (even if the weasel on the cover is pooping; that will never, ever not make me laugh. It's also the image chosen for the spine, so maybe it's some kind of inside joke between author and illustrator). And although Lister-Kaye's overwhelming Christian outlook—especially the man-versus/conquering-nature part—bothered me, I very much enjoyed this evocative look into what it's like being a naturalist at his conservation and field studies center in the Scottish Highlands.

Content warnings:
- animal injury and death

Lister-Kaye's writing is beautiful and his vocabulary expansive (which can sometimes make things a bit unwieldy, to be honest), able to transport me to the Scottish Highlands instantly. His skill is undeniable, as is his passion. It's always a great feeling to find another person who loves mustelids so much!

But I am surprised by how many times a naturalist like him would anthropomorphize animals/animal behavior. I guess it makes for a more interesting book; I suspect that it's not easy to sell a nonfiction work like this nowadays.

What mostly bothered me, though, was that very Christian, man-versus-nature outlook on everything that really pervaded every chapter. Sometimes it's easy to forget that people still have this attitude toward the world (and other people, for that matter). He sees himself, and the rest of us human beings, as entirely separate from nature and as something that cannot possibly be a part of it (+again). He also continuously describes the animals he observes as being "designed" for specific purposes and refers to Nature in a deity-like way as a substitute for God. Man, I just want to learn about animals. There was actually very little factual information presented to us in this slim book, too; most things were "said to be," "supposedly," etc., like when he said that red light was said to be a spectrum badgers couldn't see. Nothing was cited, and he said it like he didn't even know for sure—when he was just about to use it!

But anyway, I do really like his mentioning a couple indigenous perspectives, and I really can tell he is super passionate about his work. I think I experienced the full range of human emotions while reading this!

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book that took me far too long to read but brilliant all the same. Highlighting the Mustelid species in Great Britain, the book focuses on Otter, Weasel, Badger, and Pine Marten. All were greatly fascinating for different reasons and I enjoyed this from cover to cover, with very evocative, poetic language that paints a picture in your mind. A great book for any nature lovers out there.

[Shriya Uday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to observe a badger now.

[Emma]

This an absolutely delightful little book that shares stories about the lives of mustelids living around the home of John Lister-Kaye, an English naturalist and conservationist.

Mustelids include badgers, otters, weasels, beavers and pine martens. I love this family of animals - they are always so characterful, yet often incredibly elusive. As such, you have to wait and wait and wait, (and hope), to spot one and many outings are disappointing, however Lister-Kaye has learned how to wait and where to look for clues.

This isn't what I would call an educational book. If you don't know anything at all about these creatures then you'll definitely learn something, but overall this is a personal story of a life lived in pursuit of nature and of observation.

John Lister-Kaye's writing is wonderful, weaving an almost fairytale-like series of images for each of the animals we meet in the pages. His passion for this wonderful family is palpable and I couldn't help but be excited myself whenever the animal he'd been waiting for made itself known. His ability to capture the magic of the waiting and sighting in words is like nothing I've read in nature writing before.

Overall this was a wonderful book written by a remarkable naturalist. If you read this and aren't inspired to get outside and just be with nature then I will be very surprised. Highly recommend.

Thanks to @canongatebooks for sending me a copy of this delightful book.

[historic_chronicles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mustelidae, or more commonly known as the Weasel Family, are a group of small mammals, identifiable by their long bodies and short legs. Here in the UK, we are lucky to have a variety of these mammals including the badger, otter, weasel, beaver and pine marten.

Since the days of his childhood, John Lister-Kaye has been besotted with these elusive, yet remarkable creatures. From the nature haven he calls home at the Aigas Field Centre, a hub of conservation and field study, John spends hours each day in silent observation of nature.

With a lyrical flair, John passionately records all he sees within the Aigas Field Centre, such as the daily survival instincts of a mother weasel providing for her family, or an early morning search for a group of otters which he harmoniously intersperses with diary-like entries revealing his introduction to nature conservation with charming tales including the rescuing of an orphaned weasel and the responsibilities it involved - by the act of sneaking in a small weasel to his school for example.

John is a man who clearly knows his animals and knows how to write about them in a way to engage the reader. Inspirational and downright delightful nature writing at its best, this book is fascinating to understand how much we can learn from nature if we simply watch.

[Shahira8826 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved "Footprints in the Woods: The Secret Life of Forest and Riverbank" by John Lister-Kaye. It’s a treasure trove of wildlife anecdotes, written in a lyrical style that often reads like poetry. The book also doesn’t pull any punches, presenting the less picture-perfect aspects of animals’ lives in the wild with unflinching honesty.
I’ll admit I wasn’t particularly passionate about mustelids beforehand, but after reading this, I’ve come away with a far better understanding of - and much greater appreciation for - this often overlooked family of British wildlife.

[James W3bb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming book, looking at the wildlife that encompasses the British Isles. Each chapter covers a certain animal, giving the reader an overview of their Habits, History and Sightings of them. My favourite chapter was around the Badgers. This is a worthy recommendation to all who enjoy reading about animals in the wild.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled a bit with the first chapter but after that when the main characters (Weasel, Badger, Pine Martin and Otter) got going, I was hooked. The writing is really visual and it was as if I too was hovering behind the author in the field, watching the events unfold in real-time as he described the habits of each of these animals in the Scottish Highlands.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming book by someone who knows and loves his wildlife.

[Bill Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good descriptive account of watching wildlife - but a bit too many adjectives per sentence for my preference - hence 3 stars.

[Judit Trujillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evocative and poetic language, it made me want to visit Aigas even more. There are some sad parts but that is nature, some things live, some things die and some things get shaken by a foot.

[Mimi Habib · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book but DNF. I really struggled to engage w JLKs style of writing, although I can see how someone would find it enjoyable.

[Jill McGillicuddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book for Itasca (10 year old grand child) but I enjoyed it too.

[Roger Morgan-Grenville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, passionate, delightful. Old-fashioned observational nature writing at its finest