Curlew Moon: A Moving Work of Nature Writing About the Conservation of an Iconic British Bird

by Mary Colwell

‘Focuses a razor light on the plight of one of our most iconic birds. Inspirational!’ Tim BirkheadCurlews are Britain’s largest wading bird, known for their evocative calls which embody wild places; they provoke a range of emotions that many have expressed in poetry, art and music.

A bird stands alone on the edge of a mudflat. Its silhouette is unmistakable. A plump body sits atop stilty legs. The long neck arcs into a small head, which tapers further into a long curved bill. The smooth, convex outlines of this curlew are alluring. They touch some ancestral liking we all have for shapes that are round and smooth.

Over the last 20 years numbers in the UK have halved; the Eurasian Curlew is one of our most endangered birds. With a quarter of the world population breeding in the UK and Ireland, this is nothing short of a disaster. The curlew is showing all the signs of being the next Great Auk.

In Curlew Moon, Mary Colwell takes us on a 500-mile journey on foot from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast of England, to discover what is happening to this beautiful and much-loved bird. She sets off in early spring when the birds are arriving on their breeding grounds, watches them nesting in the hills of Wales and walks through England when the young are hatching. She finishes her walk on the coast of Lincolnshire when the fledglings are trying out their wings. This is also the place many curlews will return to for the winter months.

This evocative book chronicles Colwell’s impressive journey, with beautiful illustrations by Jessica Holm, weaving a gentle tale of discovery interspersed with the natural history of this iconic bird that has fascinated us for millennia – and so desperately needs our help.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Birds, Natural History, Ireland, British Literature, Ecology

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2018

Reviews

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crescendo of
Sound bubbles
Bursting in cadences
Of liquid joy.

Those of us who love them will recognise this immediately as a curlew’s cry. When we spent our summers on the edge of the Lake District, when I heard my first curlew overhead, I knew spring had arrived. When I stopped hearing them, my heart sank as I knew summer was over. A curlew’s cry speaks to many cultures on a very deep level.

The curlew is easily recognisable by its song and its long, curved bill. Its Latin name is Numenius arquata. The first part refers to the thin shaving of light that is the new moon and the second is the Latin for archer’s bow, taut and stretched into a smooth arc. The new-moon, bow-beaked bird.

Mary Colwell’s book is a cry from her heart to all of us to act now to save the Eurasian curlew, an endangered species in the UK due to a combination of intensive agriculture and cattle rearing, commercial and subsidised forestry, and other activities that destroy its natural habitat.

Mary walked 500 miles in this quest, from the west coast of Ireland to The Wash in Lincolnshire, England, on a journey through places that are struggling to maintain curlew populations and those that have lost the battle. She has worked hard to set up working groups to bring together different interests - farmers, landowners, commercially driven estates, such as those that breed grouse for hunting, nature organisations - to look at ways of saving not just curlews but golden plovers, lapwings, and other wading birds, even hen harriers, from extinction. The book is an interesting blend of social and industrial history, politics, poetry and nature writing, and she deserves plaudits for drawing our attention to the loss of natural habitats essential to the survival of the curlew and many other vulnerable birds. It is to be hoped that it’s not too late to make the next generation aware of what they are losing from their lives.

And then, untouched by my musings
The bird spreads its wings and lifts,
Naming itself, with a long, pure note
And my heart, in two states,
Leaps, and breaks.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Curlew is a fantastic looking bird, the largest wader we get in the UK, one mighty beak, awesome legs and some of the oddest bird behaviour. The sound they create can be magically during the day and haunting at night, pretty sure I heard one when I was a scout, we thought it was a wolf. It is devastating to find out that this magnificent bird is in danger of disappearing.

Mary Colwell decides to do a walk to try and raise awareness of the plight of the Curlew, she also wanted to research what is causing their decline, her journey of 500miles takes her all over the UK and Ireland. You can really see from the writing that Colwell does "cherish" Curlews, falling for them as a young girl. Two things shock her, first just how much people love the Curlew, she meets so many people on the road, some even tracking her down to tell her just how much their life has been affected by this bird. Secondly the many reasons why there are so few Curlew's left. Predators I get cause their fair share of damage but the destruction by humans was far greater than I realised. What Colwell finds out is truly shocking.

The writing is fabulous, it really draws in the reader and covers a huge amount of detail about the birds, their history and how they have influenced art and literature over the years. I loved the very last chapter, I've read a number of nature books which mention an animal that is in decline, this is the first one I've read that ends on a positive note. Colwell's journey has a much bigger effect than she could have expected, she manages to get so many organisations and charities working together for once and inspires many volunteers. With all these people working together there is hope for the Curlew's future, I just hope they can keep up the momentum. I'm doing my bit by giving up milk, can't let go of meat yet...one day maybe.

This is a fantastic book and well worth a read.

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2019...

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me doubly sad because it is set in Ireland, England and Wales. The author Mary Colwell explains that every site which used to host hundreds or even thousands of nesting pairs of curlews now has few or none, and few eggs make it to fledging chicks.

Intensified farming, draining of bogs, silage frequent cutting and proliferation of predators like foxes and hooded crows are making it impossible for many species of ground nesting birds to cope. Where there are many prey birds they can rise in a crowd and mob a predator but that doesn't work if there's only one pair. Saddest of all is the description of three grassy nests being mowed down by a silage cutter.

However, on her walk the author meets many caring, interested and even fanatical people working to save curlews at their own or a charity's expense. Poets past and present are quoted, folklore, old diaries.

A few river or lake islands have been set aside with electric fences to stop determined foxes and badgers swimming over, trees felled to stop hooded crows perching to hunt, gamekeepers shooting predators during breeding season. Heather moors for grouse shooting in England are part of the picture. The clash of protecting the hen harrier, which I pointed out to naturalists a decade or so ago, is also being felt. Wind turbines and reforestation are not helping. Ireland has always given higher grants for mixed tree plantings than for conifer and highest for deciduous tree planting, not mentioned.

I did note a couple of mistypes - in Ireland SAC means Special Area of Conservation - and updatings even since this book was published, such as Bord na Mona bringing forward the closure of peat bogs to cutting almost immediately. Not mentioned is that during the hard rule of Catholicism in Ireland, people were not allowed eat meat or poultry on a Friday but some of them called wading birds the same as fish, allegedly, so curlews could have been on their Friday diet. (Most inland farmers ate salted cod.)

I have seen a flock of eight to a dozen curlews revisit north Dublin each year, coming over from England for the winter. They walk across school playing fields eating the worms, sometimes accompanied by Greenlandic geese eating the grass. This year one of their favourite spots on the Malahide Road was being dug up for some development. If these birds don't manage to reproduce themselves, as the author tells us, when they are gone, they are gone. She doesn't even mention the shrinking pool of genetic diversity which would make a captive breeding programme difficult.

Notes and index P311 - 328. I counted 38 names which I could be sure were female.
I borrowed this book from the Royal Dublin Society Library. This is an unbiased review.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely single-species study comparable to Miriam Darlington’s work. In 2016, Colwell undertook a 500-mile journey on foot, from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast of England, to raise awareness of the plight of the curlew, which has declined by 50% over the last 20 years due to habitat loss and a lack of protection for their nesting grounds. Climate change and industrialized farming affect many species, of which the curlew is one. Ironically, they do well on grouse moors (maintained for sport shooting), yet many birds of prey are illegally killed there.

Along with describing the landscapes she passes through and giving facts about the species and the challenges it faces, she quotes from poems about curlews (who knew there were so many?!) and records people’s memories and impressions of the bird. I fondly remember seeing curlews in almost every field during a trip to the Highlands, Hebrides and Orkney Islands of Scotland in 2004, but I haven’t spent enough time in the areas where they live to notice the decline since then. There is something so evocative and haunting about their call. Colwell refers to it as “surprising joy” and says, “to hear a curlew is to listen to the wild. It is music that crystallises the range of emotions that well to the surface when standing on a lonely moor or walking through a spring meadow.” Although she does not deny the grave situation, she remains optimistic: “Until the last curlew sings, there is still hope and the story is far from over.”

I received a signed copy of this book earlier this year as a thank-you gift for donating to Colwell’s crowdfunder to save curlew chicks. It is a beautiful naked hardback with a teal and orange (endpapers) color scheme and Jessica Holm’s detailed black-and-white illustrations are an exquisite addition.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of our largest wading birds is the Curlew. To give you some idea of its size, the body is about the same size as a herring gull, but with much longer legs and rather than a bright yellow beak it has a gently curving bill, perfect for finding its food in the mud flats. They have a distinctive call that evokes so much for many people and that along with their looks has inspired poems and paintings.

About a month ago we headed out to Arne on the other side of Poole Harbour and there were four curlews in the River as it flowed into the harbour. Sadly though, all of these things that make this bird so special for so many people are almost lost to us. Most people will have never heard the cry or seen this species of bird, and it seems that most people never will. Across Europe, numbers have dropped around 20% and in Ireland, over the past three decades, next pairs have fallen from 5,000 pairs to just 130. Rightly so it has gone on the red list.

To see for herself, Mary Colwell decided to walk from their breeding grounds in the West Coast of Ireland to the east coast of the UK. Before this 500 mile journey begun though, she heads to Snettisham in East Anglia to see a flock of the birds. A few weeks later she arrived in Ireland to see a project in Country Antrim and begin her walk. The plan was to arrive in Wales as they were incubating their eggs,  find them with the chicks in the western part of England and arrive back on the East Coast six weeks later to see the fledgelings making their first attempt to fly.  It is this part of the country that the curlews would begin their preparations for the winter

Colwell's journey is almost a pilgrimage in respect of these birds. She is supported by those who are also horrified by the catastrophic collapse in numbers. The writing is really special too, she is passionate about these birds in particular and her love of the natural world is clear as day in her prose. There is something else in this book too, not anger, more absolute fury, so much so that Colwell used the walk to raise money to heighten awareness of their predicament. Given that it is thought that we have lost around 60% of animals this should be essential reading for anyone interested in the subject. As a small aside, it does have a stunning 'naked' hardback cover with lovely gold blocking and has lovely illustrations by Jessica Holm scattered throughout.

[Ruth MacLaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read a nature book I am blindsided by both how little I know, quickly followed by hopelessness for how little I can do. This book treads the line between beauty and despair quite well, the walk seems a little irrelevant other than it being the thread that connects the author to most of the other people she encounters. Overwhelmingly she is greeted by human kindness and curiosity- the curlew is known, lost, misspelled, misunderstood and missing to these people. As with any good descriptive book, I wished I could walk and watch alongside her. I guess the resurgence of nature writing and it’s popularity now is a good sign, but the question always seems to be “is it too late?”. For the curlew, steeped in myths and history, let’s hope not.

[Hannah Buschert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Colwell's Curlew Moon is a passionate plea for conservation of a beloved species. Their call was a sound once common throughout their range and has been dramatically reduced over a relatively short timespan. The Eurasian Curlew is an endangered species in the UK which has faced the decline due to modern agricultural practices, forestry, and habitat destruction.

Quotes, passages, and artwork intermingle with Mary's 500-mile long journey through the English countryside. The history of the people, land, and Curlews are spread before you in the pages to tell the story of our shared history and pave the path for the future. Mary makes contact with a number of people along the way whose own relationship with Curlews are mentioned and shares the depth of their reach and impact on the long history and culture in the UK.

Mary's walk to raise awareness for the plight of the species is widespread and efforts continue to this day. As an US reader, I learned so much of the history of the region, as well as more about this incredible bird. Her extensive research into subject provides the reader with so much information, it is worth re-reading. Additionally, her lyrical flow and passion for the topic make it even more enjoyable.

Thank you to Mary and Curlew Action for providing me with a copy of the book and for joining me for a podcast episode of the Bird Nerd Book Club.

[Nicole Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated Colwell raising the often avoided reality of animal culling for conservation (needing to control certain species until a vulnerable species on which they predate recovers) and other contradictory conservation practices. And it is helpful to remember to reach metaphorically across the gulf between environmentalists and industry (though that relationship is fraught with traps) in pursuit of certain environmental goals. Another contradictory relationship she mentions is the inadvertent one between environmentalists where, for example, renewable energy may be accidentally pitted against endangered nesting birds; or the issue whereby subsidies incentivising farmers to grow trees on their fields may fail to account for making ineffective the subsidies given to the next field over for the purpose of nesting curlews because they won’t nest near woodland (for fear of predators). At one point I was a little put off by how generous (a little overly it had seemed to me at times) Colwell was about the grouse moors, but she made good arguments that added more nuance to that issue. There is a lot to love (and lament) in Curlew Moon and I enjoyed following her journey across Britain and Ireland, and hearing her notes about the character of the different lands and people she met there, but those sticky conundrums in conservation are probably what will stick with me most about this book.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plight of the Curlew is depressing. Although this book highlights the details of the tragic and complex situation it is both inspirational and hopeful. Essentially based around a 500 mile walk across the UK and Ireland it is beautifully woven through with Curlew folklore and poetry that the bird has inspired.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Colwell is an excellent writer, and a remarkable person, who has given us an important book. Which, by the way, has lovely monochrome drawings of birds and landscape by Jessica Holm.

The Eurasian Curlew is in danger of becoming extinct as a breeding bird in the British Isles. Colwell went on a walk through 'curlew country' - the areas where they are still breeding, or were breeding in the recent past - talking with local experts, and others, some by appointment and some by chance. She describes the bird, its habitats and the nature of its universal appeal, partly through her own observation and detailed knowledge and partly through extensive literary quotation. She explains its ecological needs, the multiple reasons why it is failing to breed in sufficient numbers to avoid a very rapid and noticeable decline, and the complex pressures on the land that have brought about this situation. Most of all, she shows clearly why it is important to keep the curlew (and so also many other species) thriving in our countryside.

To many people the situation seems hopeless, but Colwell has a seemingly relentless optimism of 'where there is life, there is hope'. She looks to solutions - she talks to people, she sees the varied (and sometimes conflicting) sides of the argument in a very fair-minded way (it seems to me), and describes them clearly and non-sentimentally; she gets people to talk to each other; she puts plans into action. For example, currently, curlews breed most successfully on grouse moors, in part because predators like crows and foxes are killed, so that the grouse can prosper sufficiently to be shot for profit. But how then to also allow Hen Harriers the freedom to breed, and predate grouse (and curlew chicks) in those areas? And how do you reconcile the attitudes of wildlife supporters with the requirements of predator control, and so forth?

She writes: 'When I set out on the Curlew Walk in April 2016, I thought I would simply be on a fact-finding mission, coupled with an exploration of the rich contribution that curlews have made to our lives. I imagined that the solution to their decline would be raising awareness of their plight and restoring their habitat. ... That proved to be naive. I was, in fact, heading straight into some of the most complex and difficult conservation issues of our time, issues involving culture, class, politics and economics. ... The protection of wildlife like curlews draws us into ontological arguments about how we see our place in Earth alongside other species, and the rights we assume for ourselves over the natural world.' But don't get the idea that she is doing anything but making solid, unsentimental, convincing arguments about why we should take action for curlews (and so for many other species): this is not just for them, it is for us as well.

Colwell uses the example of the curlew to ask some very big questions about conservation and the environment, to provide some possible answers, and to show that it is very much in our own interests to take urgent action.

[5greenway · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. A really good, easy-going read on some pretty tough and sobering topics. A real sense of the importance of big, complex landscapes for one specific species - and the pressures that fragment and simplify those landscapes. Strong on competing interest groups, competing conservation needs, trying to pick a way through a debate that's so polarised.

[Martin Wilkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. The beautiful and mysterious curlew - that links us to the natural world under threat because of our disregard for the environment. Can we turn things around and learn to respect and value our environment before it is too late. The curlew is a canary in the coal mine for the natural world on which our existence depends

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having seen this book included in someone's reading line-up during this self-quarantine time, I thought it looked perfect: travel in the British Isles, birds (the curlew specifically) and an available edition of the audio through my library's e-resources. So I set out with the author (and narrator) on her journey to understand a vanishing bird, and the landscape it has inhabited.
The actual details of the walk are not the main feature of the book, although the author occasionally mentions places she stays, being tired from being buffeted about by lorries' backdraft, food she enjoys and that sort of thing. But mostly it is about the various locales and how they either are or are not becoming places hospitable to the curlew. In an almost atmospheric way, she fills the book with the natural history of these spaces and the curlew's past place in poetry, literature and local memory. She shares stories of encounters with people who are working to conserve spaces for birds like the curlew, as well as hearing of the challenges they face.
At times, the book made me feel despairing of the future for wildlife such as these birds, because what she describes in this particular context is being played out all over the world for any number of species. The challenges and conflicts are cultural, social and economic....and also climate change. The groups who are often at odds include conservationists, farmers, hunters, landowners and businesses, and she makes these conflicts clear in a way I have not often seen. In the end, she wants people to consider what will be lost if the curlew is gone from these particular lands, and consider giving of themselves to finding steps (no matter how small) to help preserve them in our world.
The narrator Jane McDowell does a lovely job, in every way. However, having access only to the audio version, I often wished that I could have had a map of the journey in front of me. A map (and photographs of this bird and others mentioned) would have enhanced the book for me.
I would give this book a 4.5 stars.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The curlew - a bird steeped in poetry, history, and culture throughout the British Isles and yet despite being home to over a quarter of the world’s breeding population, the bird is at risk across the UK and Ireland.

Over 500 miles and through England, Wales, and Ireland, Mary Colwell traces the history of curlews and their haunting place in these places. She walks through drained peat bogs in Ireland, managed grouse farms in northern England, and across Norfolk fens to discover that she hasn’t seen many curlews at all. What she does see is a vast range of committed conservationists who are working to safeguard this unique wading bird and how much of the land in the UK and Ireland is so intensively managed that birds like the curlew and lapwing among other wading birds struggle to survive.

Both hopeful and yet mournful, the cry of the curlew stirs up memories of youth, home, and hearth among those that once heard it - a fitting comparison to this book. Despite the national decline in curlews, Colwell finds much to be hopeful about as work continues to protect and preserve these deeply poetic birds. Conservation efforts are bound to cause friction between those who want to preserve endangered species and those whose livelihoods depend on the management of the land - Curlew Moon is hopeful too that a middle ground, a new way of doing things, can be found to ensure that curlews remain sene and heard across the British Isles.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Enchanting Read and also Devastatingly Sad

Curlew Moon has become one of my favourite ever reads. It is an enchantingly written book from beginning to end, so much so, as I felt so much part of the walk, of the landscape, of the conversations had enroute - the words were poetic, direct, sadly brutal and realistic of the plight of the Curlew. I loved the combination of the history of the locality on the walk, the geography of each particular place and the characters along the way.
Mostly I loved the passionate descriptions, the poems, the songs and writings of this hauntingly beautiful bird which we must not allow to become extinct.
Many years ago ( due to my own love of Curlews ) I called my gift shop ‘Curlew’ it was in the West of Ireland in the 1980’s, at a time when Curlews were a beautifully haunting part of our daily lives, across the fields, the bays, and the skies.
You cannot read this book, without feeling at the very end, that you must do something to help the recovery.

It will be tough to open a new book after reading this one. It’s hard to follow on from.

[Gwenaelle Vandendriessche · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I bought this book, I expected to read the full story of the personnal experience and encounters of the author with Curlews, but it was more about the place and the life of Curlews in general and people’s relation with them through history and in differents places. Considering the fact that they are a threatened species and the results of the studies that it presents, it was kind of depressing. (Especially, since I overlast read about Curlews raised in captivity in Poland for reintroduction being slaughtered by French hunters during their migration). Nonetheless, the great efforts lots of people from different backgrounds do to try and help them, and which are underlined by the author, bring a spark of hope.
Mary Colwell added lots of poems about Curlews by different famous authors, because she believes that « all conservation literature should be written by poets ». They weren’t my favourite part of the book. I prefer her prose by far.
Also, I learned about the « headstarting » technique of incubating the eggs artificially and return them to the nest before hatching, which was new for me. It was much more instructive than I had expected.

[Brian Gormley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.7 out of 5. When I was about six years old, a large bird flew over our house and gave a piercing call. My Dad told me it was a Curlew, with a long curved beak, and gave an excellent imitation of its call. Sadly, if their present calamitous decline continues, my kids may never hear that haunting call.
In this beautifully written book ( “The wind is coming straight off the sea, cold and peevish. It finds every buttonhole and cuff, intent on extracting warmth.” ), Mary Colwell walks 500 miles across Ireland, Wales and England. She visits previous strongholds of Curlew, now often bare and empty. There are some glimmers of hope - not least the many people she meets who are passionate and committed to saving the Curlew. She describes some programmes which may halt the decline of the breeding population.
It’s a thoughtful, and thought-provoking book. In particular the conversations around controlling predator populations, which prey on ground-nesting birds, made me reconsider some of my long-held beliefs around hunting.
As well as being a keen birdwatcher, I’m a fan of travel books, and the author’s travels, depending on the generosity of strangers, are an enthralling part of the story. Highly recommended!

[Moti Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book I needed at this moment of my life.

Beautifully written and taking one single issue and explaining the complexity of the compromises and fights required to save the Eurasian curlew from extinction.

It made me think, re-evaluate my prejudices and long held beliefs, and fall in love with a bird I had 'somewhat of an interest' in before.

I hope people reading this book take steps to protect the curlews, but I think the messages can be applied far beyond this single issue and even conservation. Resolution of complex environmental and political issues require difficult discussions and getting people together who will hold opposing views on contentious issues. There is a need for facts and level headed analysis, as well as a passion to achieve results which may seem impossible.

There is a fight for peace in this book, which I hope spreads.

[Caroline Thorley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curlews have a lot to contend with. We make their lives very difficult, even measures to combat climate change, such as the planting of trees, lead to a drop in their numbers. I learnt a very great deal about curlews and what is being done to try and save these wonderful birds. At the end of the book the author writes "Birds like curlews have contributed so much to our cultural, scientific, aesthetic and spiritual lives, and inspire so much of what makes us human. To lose them would be to diminish ourselves, and to diminish our ability to express what we feel so deeply." Throughout the book Mary Colwell quotes from poetry that has been written about and inspired by curlews.

[Anne Cotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much needed and timely book which follows Mary’s walk across the country to observe and raise awareness of the plight of curlews. Beautifully written and inspirational, if you aren’t already captivated by curlews you soon will be! Through her walk and this book, Mary has already done so much to bring people together to take action for curlews, but there is lots still to do to get curlews breeding successfully across the landscape again and now it is time for all of us to work together to achieve this.

[Cora · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read this book about the plight of one of the most endangered British birds. Mary is a great storyteller and her walk, 500-miles from Ireland to the east coast of England was described in detail and with much humour. It makes me feel really sad we humans are the cause it could become extinct. So many people are working so hard to save this stunning wader. We humans are the cause breeding numbers have dramatically dropped. I really hope we will be able to save the curlew, I certainly would really miss them in our landscape.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This nonfiction contains some beautifully written passages. I enjoyed the poetry and natural history woven into the narrative. The combination of armchair traveling through rural areas of the British Isles and the story of environmental pressure on wildlife, particularly the Eurasian Curlew, and habitat is all too familiar but bears repeating. I would have liked to read more about Colwell's physical walk between destinations she visited. A map would also have been helpful.

[Nikolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about curlews in Britain and Ireland. I particularly liked two things:

1. The descriptions of curlews and the places they live were wonderful.

2. I've long suspected that the grouse shooting/ raptor/ conservation issues were more complex and nuanced than some authors I'd read before would have me believe. I feel I have a better understanding now I've read Curlew Moon. No easy answers, though.

[Grace-Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*
Firstly, Jessica Holm's delightful illustrations are perfect for this book.
Beautiful prose from an author who is clearly extremely knowledgeable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the walk, the descriptions of the landscapes and the people she met along the way. This wasn't a "copy and paste job" like some other books of this ilk, just meticulously researched and interspersed with charming pieces of poetry.

[Sara Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got to page one hundred and twenty something and realised I'd got everything I needed from this book. It's a perfectly well written book of the nature-inspired-journey type, and I was liking it well enough, but there are so many other amazing books out there, and I am just not three hundred plus pages invested in curlews.

[Joe Downie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional book - beautifully written and lifts the lid on a conservation issue I was a little oblivious too. Deals with the issues eloquently, especially around the problems in Ireland with peat cutting, and game bird shooting in the UK. More impressive are the conservation actions initiated by Mary since the book was published. Conservation in action as well as words on a page.

[Matthew McLeman]

like good like I'm glad I read it good but mid like it was mid if you get me like 5 star message 3 star mid book like not bad like but like mid big up the curlew, saw one a few years ago on a bike ride

[Tina Beattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A leading environmentalist writes of an amazing trek to save the curlew, in rich poetic allusions and imagery.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent! Interesting and really well written, one of the greatest natural history books I've read! It had me gripped along the journey and making me want to see out my own curlews

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

Important and compelling. A book that anyone with a vague interest in preserving what we have in our British countryside needs to read, written by a passionate and knowledgeable campaigner.