No Island Too Far: Searching for Seabirds on Remote Specks of Land

by Michael Brooke

Throughout a lifetime of biological and seabird research, Michael Brooke has been blessed with the opportunity to visit a huge array of islands dotted across all the oceans of the world. His is an island list fit to make the armchair traveller green with envy – and potentially seasick. Truly no island has been too from St Kilda to Spitsbergen, from Hawaii to the furthest reaches of the Southern Ocean, with all manner of destinations in between.



In this deeply knowledgeable and at times humorous book, the author shares the experience of stupendous scenery, amazing wildlife and cutting-edge scientific investigation, all blended with idiosyncratic adventures. We discover a great deal about the peculiar ecology and unique species of islands, looking at everything from plants, mammals, reptiles and birds to human aspects, with a splash of history and anecdote.



The engaging journey will appeal to anyone who wants to learn about islands that they will probably never visit in person. The reader will share the day-to-day grind and exhilaration of undertaking fieldwork in remote situations, and reflect on the curious mindset that enables equal pleasure to be extracted from, say, Sicilian architecture and the inexpressibly brown landscape of Cabo Verde.

314 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2025

Reviews

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

As much an adventure story as a story about birds, this is a gripping, funny, laconoic account of a life utterly dedicated to the knowledge of,and wellbeing of, the world's seabirds.

[Hannah Buschert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Brooke's No Island Too Far is a fun, thrilling read that takes you on the adventures of a seabird biologist as he works around the world. His journeys range from Vancouver Island for a seabird conference to sailing for days in search of a Murphy's Petrel colony on Oeno Island. I learned so much about seabirds, their ecology, and the habitats that they live in. Brooke has obviously had some incredible experiences while conducting research and educating visitors to these locations.

This engaging read will entertain readers of all genre preferences with science, adventure, and memoir. It definitely has me interested in reading more about these topics, daydreaming about inaccessible locations, and even booking trips to faraway lands.

Thank you Pelagic Publishing for the advanced copy and to the author for joining me for a podcast interview for the Bird Nerd Book Club.