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Wintering: A Season With Geese
The new season begins. The geese return . . .
The arrival of huge flocks of geese in the UK is one of the most evocative and powerful harbingers of winter; a vast natural phenomenon to capture the imagination. So Stephen Rutt found when he moved to Dumfries one autumn, coinciding with the migration of thousands of pink-footed geese who spend their winter in the Firth. Thus began an extraordinary odyssey. From his new surroundings in the north to the wide-open spaces of his childhood home in the south, Stephen traces the lives and habits of the most common species of goose in the UK and explores the place they have in the culture, the history, and, occasionally, on the festive table. Wintering takes you on a vivid tour of the in-between landscapes the geese inhabit, celebrating the short days, varied weathers, and long nights of the season during which British people share their home with these large, startling, garrulous, and cooperative birds.
The arrival of huge flocks of geese in the UK is one of the most evocative and powerful harbingers of winter; a vast natural phenomenon to capture the imagination. So Stephen Rutt found when he moved to Dumfries one autumn, coinciding with the migration of thousands of pink-footed geese who spend their winter in the Firth. Thus began an extraordinary odyssey. From his new surroundings in the north to the wide-open spaces of his childhood home in the south, Stephen traces the lives and habits of the most common species of goose in the UK and explores the place they have in the culture, the history, and, occasionally, on the festive table. Wintering takes you on a vivid tour of the in-between landscapes the geese inhabit, celebrating the short days, varied weathers, and long nights of the season during which British people share their home with these large, startling, garrulous, and cooperative birds.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 26, 2019
(3.5) Rutt’s The Seafarers: A Journey among Birds, one of my favorite recent nature/travel books and an entry on my Best of 2019 list, came out in May. What have we done to deserve another book from this talented young author just four months later?! I didn’t enjoy this as much as The Seafarers, yet it does a lot of the same things well: it provides stunning word portraits of individual bird species, explores the interaction between nature and one’s mental state, and gathers evidence of the cultural importance of birds through legends and classical writings.
Here the focus is on geese, which the author had mostly overlooked until the year he moved to southern Scotland. Suddenly they were impossible to ignore, and as he became accustomed to his new home these geese sightings were a way of marking the seasons’ turn. Ethical issues like hunting and foie gras and down production come into play, and, perhaps ironically, he eats goose for Christmas dinner!
Rutt’s points of reference include Paul Gallico (beware the spoilers!), Aldo Leopold, Mary Oliver and Peter Scott. The writing in this short book reminded me more of Horatio Clare (especially The Light in the Dark) and Jim Crumley (who’s written many short seasonal and single-species nature books) this time.
A favorite passage (I sympathize with his feelings of nomadism and dislocation):
“I envy the geese their certainty, their habits of home. I am forever torn between multiple places that feel like home. Scotland where I live or Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk: the flatlands of golden evenings and reeds, mud and water and sand. The distant horizon and all the space in between I grew up with, which seems to lurk somewhere, subconsciously calling me back.”
Here the focus is on geese, which the author had mostly overlooked until the year he moved to southern Scotland. Suddenly they were impossible to ignore, and as he became accustomed to his new home these geese sightings were a way of marking the seasons’ turn. Ethical issues like hunting and foie gras and down production come into play, and, perhaps ironically, he eats goose for Christmas dinner!
Rutt’s points of reference include Paul Gallico (beware the spoilers!), Aldo Leopold, Mary Oliver and Peter Scott. The writing in this short book reminded me more of Horatio Clare (especially The Light in the Dark) and Jim Crumley (who’s written many short seasonal and single-species nature books) this time.
A favorite passage (I sympathize with his feelings of nomadism and dislocation):
“I envy the geese their certainty, their habits of home. I am forever torn between multiple places that feel like home. Scotland where I live or Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk: the flatlands of golden evenings and reeds, mud and water and sand. The distant horizon and all the space in between I grew up with, which seems to lurk somewhere, subconsciously calling me back.”
December 11, 2019
I have to admit that the goose is a bird I've tended to ignore, we get lots of them around here, mainly canada geese, and they keep their distance and make a right noise. I usually get distracted by other birds.
Stephen Rutt has had a similar history with the bird, it was only when he moved to Scotland (same area I'm off on holiday to in August 2020) that he saw them properly for the first time and his obsession kicked off big time. You can see why he needed to focus his energy on something, moving to Scotland is a big thing and adapting to the weather and less daylight can be challenging. This book is a memoir of sorts by a birdwatcher as he travels the country looking for the main species of goose that we get in this country. He shows some real dedication trudging through muddy fields on many frozen mornings on the off chance of spotting the bird. At first I was a bit disappointed that you don't get much info on the geese, their plumage is the main focus on information, once I realised the book is about the search and the experience of birdwatching I settled in to the book nicely, Stephen has a good voice when it comes to writing, he has a good sense of humour too, I especially liked that the cat got a mention in the thanks for sitting on his hands and forcing breaks from writing. This was a fun little book to read.
Blog review and a creepy Goose: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2019...
Stephen Rutt has had a similar history with the bird, it was only when he moved to Scotland (same area I'm off on holiday to in August 2020) that he saw them properly for the first time and his obsession kicked off big time. You can see why he needed to focus his energy on something, moving to Scotland is a big thing and adapting to the weather and less daylight can be challenging. This book is a memoir of sorts by a birdwatcher as he travels the country looking for the main species of goose that we get in this country. He shows some real dedication trudging through muddy fields on many frozen mornings on the off chance of spotting the bird. At first I was a bit disappointed that you don't get much info on the geese, their plumage is the main focus on information, once I realised the book is about the search and the experience of birdwatching I settled in to the book nicely, Stephen has a good voice when it comes to writing, he has a good sense of humour too, I especially liked that the cat got a mention in the thanks for sitting on his hands and forcing breaks from writing. This was a fun little book to read.
Blog review and a creepy Goose: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2019...
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October 23, 2020Review first appeared on Curious Reader!
Stephen Rutt’s second book, Wintering, is largely a love-letter to geese of all its kinds but lands rather in rumination on the passing of time, the reflection of movement in nature and bird migration, the internal metamorphosis of the mind and body as the earth turns on its axis. Much like other books of its kind – personal observations rather than systematic natural history – it has a quiet understated tone that feels rather comforting to read in the midst of global turmoil, political and environmental. There is too a sense of connection as Rutt’s living and viewing of birds has an everyday quality to it that any one of us could replicate, would we turn our heads to the skies. Only a week or so before I started reading Wintering I saw a flock of birds lift off and flying in an arrow-formation towards warmer climates. Only by accident did I catch this fleeting moment by the reaction of my canine companion, similarly turning his nose towards their call. A few seconds, and dog attention had passed on to other more thrilling (edible) things, while I stood transfixed until the birds were out of my sight. Thus I felt an immediate kinship with Rutt who finds himself pulled into the flight patterns of geese, a little glint of light in an otherwise darkening autumn and dreary winter. As he puts it, the geese “symbolise the transformation of the seasons, and the associations of growth and death and change, for us as well as for the landscape“.
As much as this book is about birds, it is too about Rutt’s own survival through the colder months of the year. Living in Scotland, he finds himself moving inwards like a bear going into hibernation with every passing day further into October, November, December. He writes as poignantly about the weather as he does the natural world – though they are often interlinked. How “the rain comes and it feels as if we don’t see the sun in weeks. And things slow down. We slow down“, or “The sun is smothered by clouds, dimmed to the brightness of a low-watt lightbulb. We feel low-watt too” – there is a precision to this way of capturing weather I am familiar with, have grown up around and with all of my life – and the experience of it, the dullness of sound and life that can occasionally birth a brilliant sunrise with light shining through a mist or it can be a blanket of moisture and cold seemingly unmoving until the arrival of Spring. While much of the book focuses on movement through the birds travelling, Rutt himself in many ways speaks for stillness – for us to stand still, wait, observe – connect with what is happening around us, pay attention, understand. It’s a sentiment as relevant to humanity’s relationship with other animals as it is the natural world in its grandeur and with each other too. In a subtle way, Rutt asks us to be present — from his detailed description of the landscape’s colours to the reasoning around our impact on the environment, to his own struggles with writing, whatever it is he takes on, there is ultimately a willingness to face it with clarity and care.
Wintering is thus a nature memoir hardly original in its premise from other personal nature writing but no less enjoyable for it. If birds hold the same meaning to you as Stephen Rutt puts it – “Birds punctuate my year: time passes constantly but birds are the grammar of its passing” you might want to add this one to your list of books to read this winter season.
Grateful thanks to the publisher for giving me a copy of this book!
Stephen Rutt’s second book, Wintering, is largely a love-letter to geese of all its kinds but lands rather in rumination on the passing of time, the reflection of movement in nature and bird migration, the internal metamorphosis of the mind and body as the earth turns on its axis. Much like other books of its kind – personal observations rather than systematic natural history – it has a quiet understated tone that feels rather comforting to read in the midst of global turmoil, political and environmental. There is too a sense of connection as Rutt’s living and viewing of birds has an everyday quality to it that any one of us could replicate, would we turn our heads to the skies. Only a week or so before I started reading Wintering I saw a flock of birds lift off and flying in an arrow-formation towards warmer climates. Only by accident did I catch this fleeting moment by the reaction of my canine companion, similarly turning his nose towards their call. A few seconds, and dog attention had passed on to other more thrilling (edible) things, while I stood transfixed until the birds were out of my sight. Thus I felt an immediate kinship with Rutt who finds himself pulled into the flight patterns of geese, a little glint of light in an otherwise darkening autumn and dreary winter. As he puts it, the geese “symbolise the transformation of the seasons, and the associations of growth and death and change, for us as well as for the landscape“.
As much as this book is about birds, it is too about Rutt’s own survival through the colder months of the year. Living in Scotland, he finds himself moving inwards like a bear going into hibernation with every passing day further into October, November, December. He writes as poignantly about the weather as he does the natural world – though they are often interlinked. How “the rain comes and it feels as if we don’t see the sun in weeks. And things slow down. We slow down“, or “The sun is smothered by clouds, dimmed to the brightness of a low-watt lightbulb. We feel low-watt too” – there is a precision to this way of capturing weather I am familiar with, have grown up around and with all of my life – and the experience of it, the dullness of sound and life that can occasionally birth a brilliant sunrise with light shining through a mist or it can be a blanket of moisture and cold seemingly unmoving until the arrival of Spring. While much of the book focuses on movement through the birds travelling, Rutt himself in many ways speaks for stillness – for us to stand still, wait, observe – connect with what is happening around us, pay attention, understand. It’s a sentiment as relevant to humanity’s relationship with other animals as it is the natural world in its grandeur and with each other too. In a subtle way, Rutt asks us to be present — from his detailed description of the landscape’s colours to the reasoning around our impact on the environment, to his own struggles with writing, whatever it is he takes on, there is ultimately a willingness to face it with clarity and care.
Wintering is thus a nature memoir hardly original in its premise from other personal nature writing but no less enjoyable for it. If birds hold the same meaning to you as Stephen Rutt puts it – “Birds punctuate my year: time passes constantly but birds are the grammar of its passing” you might want to add this one to your list of books to read this winter season.
Grateful thanks to the publisher for giving me a copy of this book!
November 2, 2020
I adore books about the natural world, and find them both calming and peaceful to read - something which is very important, given the current state of the world. Stephen Rutt is a young naturalist who has published two non-fiction books; Wintering: A Season with Geese is his second.
Wintering was selected as one of the Times' Books of the Year 2019, and has been very highly praised. Jon Dunn in BBC Wildlife magazine writes: 'Rutt's dreamy prose is as cool and elegant as the season he charts', and the Times calls it a 'poignant testament to how we can find peace in the rhythms of the natural world.' Waterstones calls it an 'understated gem'.
In the autumn, Rutt swapped his life in Essex for a house near the Solway Firth in Dumfries, 'a little town tucked away in the corner of Scotland, barely beyond the English border'. As he and his partner were settling in their new home, and their new country, thousands of pink-footed geese were also arriving from the Arctic Circle, to winter in Scotland. Their arrival is heralded each year as 'one of the most evocative and powerful harbingers of the season.'
In his new surroundings, Rutt cannot help but notice geese; they seem to be everywhere around him. Although he had little curiosity regarding them before - he notes in his introduction that, in mid-September during his move, 'I am not interested in geese yet' - he embarks on an 'extraordinary odyssey', in which he 'traces the lives and habits of the most common species of goose in the British Isles and explores the place they have in our culture and our history.'
In Wintering, Rutt has created what the book's blurb hails 'a vivid tour of the landscapes they inhabit and a celebration of the short days, varied weathers and long nights of the season.' The author finds himself 'celebrating the beauty of winter, when we share our home with these large, startling and garrulous birds.'
Wintering has been split into six different chapters, each of which corresponds to one of the most common species of geese in the United Kingdom. To be specific, these are the Pink-footed, Barnacle, Greylag, Brent, White-fronted, and Bean. In the book's introduction, he notes that at the turn of winter: 'Five wild species will head to Britain for the winter: a relative land of plenty, and gentler weather, respite from a north that is, still, ice-bloated and snowbound for the winter.'
Rutt had been a birder for a long time - 'almost half my life,' he says - but geese only became a fascination once he moved to Scotland: 'Their habit of always just being there, their familiarity, bred apathy,' he admits. His winter of geese begins on the 23rd of September, with a 'simple arrow of birds as distant as the hills, heading south through the sunset.' It is filled, then, with 'wild half-count, half-estimates at the numbers passing overhead, between the fields north of the town and the Solway Firth to the south.'
Throughout Wintering, Rutt charts his journey into winter, and into his fascination with the geese: 'I am falling more deeply for geese on a daily basis. Although I am told the winter won't always be like this - they are wild geese after all, predictably unpredictable - the regular skeins flying over are captivating me. Sinking deep inside me... In a new place they are making me feel, tentatively, at home.'
From its very first page, where Rutt writes: 'Autumn begins as a season for movement, and ends with everything changed', one cannot help but be charmed by his pitch-perfect prose. He has such an awareness of the seasons, and of the birds which populate them. Early on, he writes: 'Birds penetrate my year: time passes constantly but birds are the grammar of its passing, they give a rough working order to the months. I have my totems: the first singing chiffchaff at the beginning of spring and the first screeching swift at its end. The silencing of song at the end of summer; the disappearance of the swifts and the arrival of autumn.'
Rutt's descriptions provide scenes so vivid that they are almost tangible to the reader: 'Suddenly - geese, pushed over by the weather, heading to the Solway. A chaos of pink-footed geese, stretching across the horizon. There are thousands, the skeins straggling, struggling without a set order, flying in all directions. Lead geese swapping with others. Individuals peeling off and joining other groups, geese like a kaleidoscope of panic. Their honking sounds urgent. Wings labouring, growing damp in the rain, energy sapped by the wind.' Later is this: 'A hare basks in the middle of a field, in front of a dense barnacle goose flock, their monochrome plumage burning bright in the sun. The silver flanks dazzle, the white and black bars on their backs are like sharp light and thick shadow.'
Throughout, Rutt has sprinkled some really interesting facts about geese alongside his own observations. He writes, for instance, that the Bean goose is now so rare in the county of Dumfries and Galloway that 'if you see one you have to write a description of it for a panel of four men to adjudicate on whether you are correct.' He also writes about the fluctuation of population sizes, which are largely due to indiscriminate hunting, and the subsequent banning of this practice.
Throughout Wintering, Rutt discusses many elements which surround geese and their place in the world - their history, different migratory patterns, the uses for their meat and feathers, the domestication of various species, and geese in art and literature. He also touches upon conservation in many of the chapters which make up the book.
It was a wonderful thing, to revisit Scotland alongside Rutt. Although he lives in and describes a part of Scotland which I have never been to, having lived in Glasgow for three years, I recognised the often stark beauty of the landscapes which he writes about: 'It is a bleak, dreich day: October by calendar, deep into winter by spirit. I can only faintly see the first line of hills. The trees reduced to pale grey shadows, their shapes indistinct in the weather.'
Wintering is a real delight, particularly to snuggle down with on a cool autumn or winter evening. It is clear that Rutt has such an interest in his chosen subjects; indeed, he writes: 'My love of geese might be recent, but it connects me with a human fascination extending back for millennia.'
Wintering was selected as one of the Times' Books of the Year 2019, and has been very highly praised. Jon Dunn in BBC Wildlife magazine writes: 'Rutt's dreamy prose is as cool and elegant as the season he charts', and the Times calls it a 'poignant testament to how we can find peace in the rhythms of the natural world.' Waterstones calls it an 'understated gem'.
In the autumn, Rutt swapped his life in Essex for a house near the Solway Firth in Dumfries, 'a little town tucked away in the corner of Scotland, barely beyond the English border'. As he and his partner were settling in their new home, and their new country, thousands of pink-footed geese were also arriving from the Arctic Circle, to winter in Scotland. Their arrival is heralded each year as 'one of the most evocative and powerful harbingers of the season.'
In his new surroundings, Rutt cannot help but notice geese; they seem to be everywhere around him. Although he had little curiosity regarding them before - he notes in his introduction that, in mid-September during his move, 'I am not interested in geese yet' - he embarks on an 'extraordinary odyssey', in which he 'traces the lives and habits of the most common species of goose in the British Isles and explores the place they have in our culture and our history.'
In Wintering, Rutt has created what the book's blurb hails 'a vivid tour of the landscapes they inhabit and a celebration of the short days, varied weathers and long nights of the season.' The author finds himself 'celebrating the beauty of winter, when we share our home with these large, startling and garrulous birds.'
Wintering has been split into six different chapters, each of which corresponds to one of the most common species of geese in the United Kingdom. To be specific, these are the Pink-footed, Barnacle, Greylag, Brent, White-fronted, and Bean. In the book's introduction, he notes that at the turn of winter: 'Five wild species will head to Britain for the winter: a relative land of plenty, and gentler weather, respite from a north that is, still, ice-bloated and snowbound for the winter.'
Rutt had been a birder for a long time - 'almost half my life,' he says - but geese only became a fascination once he moved to Scotland: 'Their habit of always just being there, their familiarity, bred apathy,' he admits. His winter of geese begins on the 23rd of September, with a 'simple arrow of birds as distant as the hills, heading south through the sunset.' It is filled, then, with 'wild half-count, half-estimates at the numbers passing overhead, between the fields north of the town and the Solway Firth to the south.'
Throughout Wintering, Rutt charts his journey into winter, and into his fascination with the geese: 'I am falling more deeply for geese on a daily basis. Although I am told the winter won't always be like this - they are wild geese after all, predictably unpredictable - the regular skeins flying over are captivating me. Sinking deep inside me... In a new place they are making me feel, tentatively, at home.'
From its very first page, where Rutt writes: 'Autumn begins as a season for movement, and ends with everything changed', one cannot help but be charmed by his pitch-perfect prose. He has such an awareness of the seasons, and of the birds which populate them. Early on, he writes: 'Birds penetrate my year: time passes constantly but birds are the grammar of its passing, they give a rough working order to the months. I have my totems: the first singing chiffchaff at the beginning of spring and the first screeching swift at its end. The silencing of song at the end of summer; the disappearance of the swifts and the arrival of autumn.'
Rutt's descriptions provide scenes so vivid that they are almost tangible to the reader: 'Suddenly - geese, pushed over by the weather, heading to the Solway. A chaos of pink-footed geese, stretching across the horizon. There are thousands, the skeins straggling, struggling without a set order, flying in all directions. Lead geese swapping with others. Individuals peeling off and joining other groups, geese like a kaleidoscope of panic. Their honking sounds urgent. Wings labouring, growing damp in the rain, energy sapped by the wind.' Later is this: 'A hare basks in the middle of a field, in front of a dense barnacle goose flock, their monochrome plumage burning bright in the sun. The silver flanks dazzle, the white and black bars on their backs are like sharp light and thick shadow.'
Throughout, Rutt has sprinkled some really interesting facts about geese alongside his own observations. He writes, for instance, that the Bean goose is now so rare in the county of Dumfries and Galloway that 'if you see one you have to write a description of it for a panel of four men to adjudicate on whether you are correct.' He also writes about the fluctuation of population sizes, which are largely due to indiscriminate hunting, and the subsequent banning of this practice.
Throughout Wintering, Rutt discusses many elements which surround geese and their place in the world - their history, different migratory patterns, the uses for their meat and feathers, the domestication of various species, and geese in art and literature. He also touches upon conservation in many of the chapters which make up the book.
It was a wonderful thing, to revisit Scotland alongside Rutt. Although he lives in and describes a part of Scotland which I have never been to, having lived in Glasgow for three years, I recognised the often stark beauty of the landscapes which he writes about: 'It is a bleak, dreich day: October by calendar, deep into winter by spirit. I can only faintly see the first line of hills. The trees reduced to pale grey shadows, their shapes indistinct in the weather.'
Wintering is a real delight, particularly to snuggle down with on a cool autumn or winter evening. It is clear that Rutt has such an interest in his chosen subjects; indeed, he writes: 'My love of geese might be recent, but it connects me with a human fascination extending back for millennia.'
January 6, 2020
It is only very occasionally that I see skeins of geese flying overhead around where I live. However, when I do it is quite a sight to see thirty or more birds in that distinctive V formation that they have. They are passing overhead to reach Poole Harbour home to many wading birds. When I go to Poole Park I always see the giant Canada goose that seems to have made this country it’s home too. But the regular native geese are not quite as big, and if you look carefully there then you can see some of them too.
Whilst Rutt has always been a bird fan, it wasn’t until he went to live in Scotland near the Solway Firth, that he became more aware of the geese that were there. He sees thousands of pink-footed geese arriving in his hometown as they head south from the far north and Arctic.
With these arrivals comes winter.
This goose, along with the Barnacle, Greylag, Brent Bean and White-fronted become an obsession for him, he follows the skeins through the skies, revelling in the connections that they bring him to distant lands and the rhythm of the seasons. They brighten a bleak, dreich day, dragging him from a cursor blinking on a blank document to windswept fields in search of them. This interest becomes an obsession and it will take him to different parts of the country in search of these magnificent birds. Heading south for Christmas, they celebrate it with a goose, a domesticated bird that has been eaten for over 3000 years now. Spending time away from the regular day to day stuff gives him time to ponder how humans and geese have interacted over that time.
In some ways, it is quite difficult to believe that this is the second book that Rutt has had published in the same year. He is quite an accomplished writer and like his first, The Seafarers, this has just the right mix of fact and anecdote tied together with a strong narrative. There are some personal elements in here, but no more than is needed to add context to what he is writing about. One for the nature lovers bookshelf.
Whilst Rutt has always been a bird fan, it wasn’t until he went to live in Scotland near the Solway Firth, that he became more aware of the geese that were there. He sees thousands of pink-footed geese arriving in his hometown as they head south from the far north and Arctic.
With these arrivals comes winter.
This goose, along with the Barnacle, Greylag, Brent Bean and White-fronted become an obsession for him, he follows the skeins through the skies, revelling in the connections that they bring him to distant lands and the rhythm of the seasons. They brighten a bleak, dreich day, dragging him from a cursor blinking on a blank document to windswept fields in search of them. This interest becomes an obsession and it will take him to different parts of the country in search of these magnificent birds. Heading south for Christmas, they celebrate it with a goose, a domesticated bird that has been eaten for over 3000 years now. Spending time away from the regular day to day stuff gives him time to ponder how humans and geese have interacted over that time.
In some ways, it is quite difficult to believe that this is the second book that Rutt has had published in the same year. He is quite an accomplished writer and like his first, The Seafarers, this has just the right mix of fact and anecdote tied together with a strong narrative. There are some personal elements in here, but no more than is needed to add context to what he is writing about. One for the nature lovers bookshelf.
December 30, 2020
This is what I would call 'early afternoon Radio 4' writing - everything is so incredibly over-earnest that it ends up tonally flat. The miraculous migration of tens of thousands of birds across tundra, roiling seas etc. has the same level of profundity as a Tesco online delivery, for example.
Also - importantly - not enough geese.
Also - importantly - not enough geese.
May 31, 2021
2 stars
Oh I am so disappointed. I was really looking forward to this book as I love geese and wanted to learn lots more about them! Unfortunately instead of anything vaguely scientific, I received a rather lacklustre memoir of the authors going on visits to look for Geese. That is fine, I have enjoyed many books in this way but here simply was not enough information about Geese!!
I was particularly annoyed at the chapter on my favourites, Greylag geese. The author started off by calling them dull and devoid of elegance or anything interesting. I was really annoyed at this! Then the rest of the chapter was about him eating goose for Christmas Dinner, something I did not want to read in a book about Geese and made me dislike the author more. Then information about historical hunting of geese for food and the live plucking of geese for their feathers. There was nothing directly about the Greylag Geese and I was really let down.
I feel the book should have had a section for the authors memoir and then actually used the split sections for more scientific and lesser known facts about Geese. I learned a little, but not a lot and that was really disappointing.
I really enjoyed the author's other book The Seafarers but this was a big letdown.
Oh I am so disappointed. I was really looking forward to this book as I love geese and wanted to learn lots more about them! Unfortunately instead of anything vaguely scientific, I received a rather lacklustre memoir of the authors going on visits to look for Geese. That is fine, I have enjoyed many books in this way but here simply was not enough information about Geese!!
I was particularly annoyed at the chapter on my favourites, Greylag geese. The author started off by calling them dull and devoid of elegance or anything interesting. I was really annoyed at this! Then the rest of the chapter was about him eating goose for Christmas Dinner, something I did not want to read in a book about Geese and made me dislike the author more. Then information about historical hunting of geese for food and the live plucking of geese for their feathers. There was nothing directly about the Greylag Geese and I was really let down.
I feel the book should have had a section for the authors memoir and then actually used the split sections for more scientific and lesser known facts about Geese. I learned a little, but not a lot and that was really disappointing.
I really enjoyed the author's other book The Seafarers but this was a big letdown.
September 26, 2019
As a short review. A perfect accompaniment to the night's drawing in. Stephen Rutt's Wintering experiences the Winter season while you keep warm with this great book.
I'll be writing a full review in Issue 3 of The Pilgrim magazine, out in October 2019.
I'll be writing a full review in Issue 3 of The Pilgrim magazine, out in October 2019.
September 24, 2020
Enjoyable short read. Descriptive language is evocative. Overall the author seems deeply unhappy and needs birds to keep him from depression. Glad it wasn't longer!
December 19, 2021
Subtitled 'A Season with Geese' this is a beautifully written account of watching and learning about the various species of wild geese that winter in the UK. The book mostly centres on Dumfries and Galloway, in the south-west of Scotland, an area which Crafty Green Boyfriend and I have visited many times and in fact we have seen many geese while we've been there!
Rutt's book devotes a chapter to each of the main geese found in the UK - pink footed, barnacle, greylag, brent, white fronted and bean. Each chapter outlines the author's encounters with the particular species, along with notes on how to recognise it and an account of the human history with the species (usually through hunting).
The book is closely observed, paying attention to the weather and to the wider environment, as well as to the birds themselves.
"The geese come first as sound. We turn a corner and a muddy channel opens up between two patches of marsh that had earlier appeared seamlessly as one. The wind picks up their calls and the noise drifts over us."
Rutt's book devotes a chapter to each of the main geese found in the UK - pink footed, barnacle, greylag, brent, white fronted and bean. Each chapter outlines the author's encounters with the particular species, along with notes on how to recognise it and an account of the human history with the species (usually through hunting).
The book is closely observed, paying attention to the weather and to the wider environment, as well as to the birds themselves.
"The geese come first as sound. We turn a corner and a muddy channel opens up between two patches of marsh that had earlier appeared seamlessly as one. The wind picks up their calls and the noise drifts over us."
March 12, 2022
Just read it for a second time whilst the wild geese are still around. Stephen writes really well and it's generally an easy but informative read. I think it gets waylaid in the fact that people eat domesticated geese, it's not really relevant to the 'wintering' theme. If you are time poor just read the first two chapters about Pinkfeet and Barnacle Geese - the best stuff is at the beginning.
February 2, 2025
I enjoyed the goose facts and history, less so the memoir parts of the book (maybe I could have liked this if it was more thought-provoking). The constant weather description was a bit tedious, and the greylags were done dirty. Overall it was a nice easy winter weekend read and I was happy to learn some new goose info.
February 4, 2021
My Interest
I started this year determined to read “seasonally”–winter books in winter, etc. I had encountered both of these books, and both resonated with me when I read about them. I tried the sample on Amazon for each–something I rarely do. I actually purchased both because I did not want to rush through either one. They are the first two of my “winter” books that I’ve finished.
Thanks to Liz Dexter’s review at Shiney New Books for bringing this book to my attention, Won’t you be nice and click to read her review, too?
“I find hope in the borderless world of birds.”
(p. 29-30)
The Story
Geese have become fascinating to me because for the 12 + years on my current job, a gaggle of geese has made our office parking lot, and the little fake pond by the Mercedes Benz dealership next door, it’s Springtime home. A goose sits on eggs most years in the same little island in the parking lot, it’s ground covering plants [what are they? vines? Not grass that’s for sure] must appeal to female geese. They walk around the parking lot, risk their lives crossing the street to Burger King and Wendy’s or follow the cul de sac to Buffalo and Wild Wings or Bob Evans. They do not have nice toilet manners, nor are they always nice to passing humans. But it is enjoyable to see them arrive and, especially, to arrive in the morning and find the mother is now on her nest.
Author Stephen Rutt says of his childhood: “I grew up awkward. Always unsure of my place in the scheme of things. Never sure what I was working towards. The world was a vast and perplexing and the temptation to retreat into a book was always strong. Getting into nature–in its broadest sense of the world around me–was a salve. (p. 129). He began bird watching–his father liked bird watching around their home in Suffolk. In time he says, “The quest becomes something bigger. A way of understanding the world around me. A way of understanding me” (p, 131).
For a year he spends his time studying geese from his new home in Dumfries and in the environs known to have geese making their annual stop in the UK while migrating. Later in the year, he teams up again with his father to search for certain elusive geese in the marshlands near their home and elsewhere in the U.K,
My Thoughts
Educator Charlotte Mason championed educating only with living books, not textbooks. This is certainly a living book. the geese, their markings, their habitats, and habits are made real by Rutt’s prose.
“The neck collar meets at the front, like a pearly white, expensive smile. It carries a clarity about it. The sharper goose” (p. 126).
I love some of his descriptions of the scenery in which he finds the geese, too.
“I had never seen ice on a beach. The shingle solid, each individual pebble delicately thorned with hoar frost“ (p. 149)
Possibly this one entranced me because I’ve never been to “shingle” beach with rocks–only those with and. The picture he paints is awe-inspiring.
“The marsh is bleached with ice” (p. 150) I can just picture. I’ve seen marshland. I know its look and its feel. “Bleached” is the very word needed for this description.
This is a delightful book. It may be a little slow for today’s kids to enjoy as a read aloud, but I would try it. Maybe in the Spring when the geese come back. Look for them at nearby ponds or lakes or even at the shopping center–they seem to like those as well as my office parking lot. Maybe throw in a viewing of Fly Away Home, a movie Stephen enjoyed as a child. Regardless, read this one yourself if nothing else. It is beautiful.
My Verdict
4.5
Wintering: A Season With Geese by Stephen Rutt
I learned of this book here: https://shinynewbooks.co.uk/wintering...
I started this year determined to read “seasonally”–winter books in winter, etc. I had encountered both of these books, and both resonated with me when I read about them. I tried the sample on Amazon for each–something I rarely do. I actually purchased both because I did not want to rush through either one. They are the first two of my “winter” books that I’ve finished.
Thanks to Liz Dexter’s review at Shiney New Books for bringing this book to my attention, Won’t you be nice and click to read her review, too?
“I find hope in the borderless world of birds.”
(p. 29-30)
The Story
Geese have become fascinating to me because for the 12 + years on my current job, a gaggle of geese has made our office parking lot, and the little fake pond by the Mercedes Benz dealership next door, it’s Springtime home. A goose sits on eggs most years in the same little island in the parking lot, it’s ground covering plants [what are they? vines? Not grass that’s for sure] must appeal to female geese. They walk around the parking lot, risk their lives crossing the street to Burger King and Wendy’s or follow the cul de sac to Buffalo and Wild Wings or Bob Evans. They do not have nice toilet manners, nor are they always nice to passing humans. But it is enjoyable to see them arrive and, especially, to arrive in the morning and find the mother is now on her nest.
Author Stephen Rutt says of his childhood: “I grew up awkward. Always unsure of my place in the scheme of things. Never sure what I was working towards. The world was a vast and perplexing and the temptation to retreat into a book was always strong. Getting into nature–in its broadest sense of the world around me–was a salve. (p. 129). He began bird watching–his father liked bird watching around their home in Suffolk. In time he says, “The quest becomes something bigger. A way of understanding the world around me. A way of understanding me” (p, 131).
For a year he spends his time studying geese from his new home in Dumfries and in the environs known to have geese making their annual stop in the UK while migrating. Later in the year, he teams up again with his father to search for certain elusive geese in the marshlands near their home and elsewhere in the U.K,
My Thoughts
Educator Charlotte Mason championed educating only with living books, not textbooks. This is certainly a living book. the geese, their markings, their habitats, and habits are made real by Rutt’s prose.
“The neck collar meets at the front, like a pearly white, expensive smile. It carries a clarity about it. The sharper goose” (p. 126).
I love some of his descriptions of the scenery in which he finds the geese, too.
“I had never seen ice on a beach. The shingle solid, each individual pebble delicately thorned with hoar frost“ (p. 149)
Possibly this one entranced me because I’ve never been to “shingle” beach with rocks–only those with and. The picture he paints is awe-inspiring.
“The marsh is bleached with ice” (p. 150) I can just picture. I’ve seen marshland. I know its look and its feel. “Bleached” is the very word needed for this description.
This is a delightful book. It may be a little slow for today’s kids to enjoy as a read aloud, but I would try it. Maybe in the Spring when the geese come back. Look for them at nearby ponds or lakes or even at the shopping center–they seem to like those as well as my office parking lot. Maybe throw in a viewing of Fly Away Home, a movie Stephen enjoyed as a child. Regardless, read this one yourself if nothing else. It is beautiful.
My Verdict
4.5
Wintering: A Season With Geese by Stephen Rutt
I learned of this book here: https://shinynewbooks.co.uk/wintering...
June 28, 2020
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I’m not a bird watcher and prefer to read fiction. However, rather than a fact-filled birding guide, ‘Wintering’ is a beautifully written account of the author’s quest to track down the different species of goose which winter in the UK. There’s a strong sense of story and quest, with the author’s voice offering a direct personal glimpse into his life as he travels between Suffolk and Scotland. There are interesting insights into the places geese inhabit in our social history and imaginations. I particularly appreciated the descriptions of landscape, weather and light. As I grow older, I enjoy more and more the qualities of winter - the stripped-back vegetation which lays bare the forms beneath. While the author frequently yearns for better weather, I found myself longing for the pale light and biting air, the frosts and fogs he describes. I think I’m also beginning to love geese . . .
March 8, 2020
Unfortunately this proved to be another example of the "new nature writing" which is, in essence, not about nature but about the author. The chapter Pink-footed Geese contains, within 25 pages, about 3 pages of information about the species. The best bits are quotes from other authors, Aldo Leopold in this case, but then one would be better off reading Leopold in the first place.
Read
October 20, 2020Wintering celebrates the migration of geese in a beautifully descriptive book which looks at all the reasons why they leave their summer breeding grounds to head south to warmer climes. We think of the British Isles as being a cold place over winter and yet the geese must find it positively balmy when compared with the desperate chill of the Arctic tundra, or the icy cliffs of Svalbard.
The author shares his considerable knowledge with references to others who have also made geese their area of expertise and together they give a fascinating glimpse into the migratory life of this stalwart and rather belligerent bird. After an informative introduction into how the author came to live in Dumfries just as thousands of pink footed geese were making their annual migratory journey south, the book is then divided into easy to peruse sections which describe the more common geese, namely Pink-footed, Barnacle, Greylag, Brent, White-fronted and Bean, who are often found wintering in our countryside or in those areas which are managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
The author has a lovely way of bringing these birds to life in an almost poetic way, marveling at their ability to adapt and settle when conditions haven't always been to their advantage but with more considerate management their numbers are now increasing and we are so much the better for that. It also observes, not just the arrival of the geese, but also the natural beauty of the British Isles and the joy of the natural world in all weathers from the start of September when the geese make their noisy arrival, to April when they head back to the Arctic Tundra and the cliffs of Svalbard to start the cycle all over again.
The author shares his considerable knowledge with references to others who have also made geese their area of expertise and together they give a fascinating glimpse into the migratory life of this stalwart and rather belligerent bird. After an informative introduction into how the author came to live in Dumfries just as thousands of pink footed geese were making their annual migratory journey south, the book is then divided into easy to peruse sections which describe the more common geese, namely Pink-footed, Barnacle, Greylag, Brent, White-fronted and Bean, who are often found wintering in our countryside or in those areas which are managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
The author has a lovely way of bringing these birds to life in an almost poetic way, marveling at their ability to adapt and settle when conditions haven't always been to their advantage but with more considerate management their numbers are now increasing and we are so much the better for that. It also observes, not just the arrival of the geese, but also the natural beauty of the British Isles and the joy of the natural world in all weathers from the start of September when the geese make their noisy arrival, to April when they head back to the Arctic Tundra and the cliffs of Svalbard to start the cycle all over again.
June 14, 2021
Interesting follow on to The Seafarers, which I really enjoyed. Maybe curious reading a book about winter right now in June, but on the other hand I will shortly be going up to Dumfries and Galloway for a holiday.
This feels part nature, part memoir of a particular winter, 2017 - 2018 when Rutt moves up to Dumfries, is finishing off the final edit of The Seafarers and becomes a bit obsessed with geese. It certainly helps that a lot come to overwinter in the Solway Firth, where Dumfries is. He also returns to his homeland in... was it Essex he was originally from or Suffolk? anyway, down that way on the south-east coast of England, also a good spot for a lot of wintering geese. And as these geese switch between the very far north of the globe for summer, and a little south for winter, Rutt feels torn between old home and new home Scotland. He writes about all the species of geese that come to overwinter in the UK, and his endeavers to spot them all that winter. Quiet, reflective and evocative book of nature. Nice little read.
This feels part nature, part memoir of a particular winter, 2017 - 2018 when Rutt moves up to Dumfries, is finishing off the final edit of The Seafarers and becomes a bit obsessed with geese. It certainly helps that a lot come to overwinter in the Solway Firth, where Dumfries is. He also returns to his homeland in... was it Essex he was originally from or Suffolk? anyway, down that way on the south-east coast of England, also a good spot for a lot of wintering geese. And as these geese switch between the very far north of the globe for summer, and a little south for winter, Rutt feels torn between old home and new home Scotland. He writes about all the species of geese that come to overwinter in the UK, and his endeavers to spot them all that winter. Quiet, reflective and evocative book of nature. Nice little read.
December 28, 2022
Winter for me is like seasonal anesthesia. I feel slow, lethargic, and unproductive. Justifying that by the given dark, cold and gloomy weather. But on the other hand, it also brings large flocks of Geese to the UK, a powerful harbinger of the season.
In this book, the author has shared his experience of moving to Dumfries in autumn and falling in love with Geese throughout the winter making it bearable to bear the S.A.D (Seasonal affective disorder).
It is a peaceful read which gives insights into history, migration, challenges, and risks faced by different species of geese. He also gives a vivid tour of the landscapes and descriptions of the grasslands the geese inhabit during their visit along with some interesting facts about the rare ones.
Last but not the least, he mentions about the various conservation efforts put into place to protect these wildfowl that fall prey to hunting (for meat and sport) during their migration. I can now confidently say that I will not look at the Geese in the same way again. They badasses!
In this book, the author has shared his experience of moving to Dumfries in autumn and falling in love with Geese throughout the winter making it bearable to bear the S.A.D (Seasonal affective disorder).
It is a peaceful read which gives insights into history, migration, challenges, and risks faced by different species of geese. He also gives a vivid tour of the landscapes and descriptions of the grasslands the geese inhabit during their visit along with some interesting facts about the rare ones.
Last but not the least, he mentions about the various conservation efforts put into place to protect these wildfowl that fall prey to hunting (for meat and sport) during their migration. I can now confidently say that I will not look at the Geese in the same way again. They badasses!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2021
This book was a gift and it must be said that I probably would never have bought this for myself. I can think of many things more interesting to do with my time than read about the wintering habits of geese.
But I was incredibly surprised when I started reading it. The author has moved multiple times in his life, and following yet another move, he discovered a love and interest in the skeins of geese that flew in for the winter.
The book is an intricate dance of geese-facts and tellings of his adjustment to the new season in his life and just when I feel my mind numb and lose focus with the facts, he threads in an observation of life in Scotland, and I am hooked again!
It reminded me of ‘Wilding’, a book which I read and loved a few years ago, and rather than leaving me with the desire to rewild my garden, it has left me looking online at good binoculars and researching if I can spot pink-footed geese in my 5mile radius!
But I was incredibly surprised when I started reading it. The author has moved multiple times in his life, and following yet another move, he discovered a love and interest in the skeins of geese that flew in for the winter.
The book is an intricate dance of geese-facts and tellings of his adjustment to the new season in his life and just when I feel my mind numb and lose focus with the facts, he threads in an observation of life in Scotland, and I am hooked again!
It reminded me of ‘Wilding’, a book which I read and loved a few years ago, and rather than leaving me with the desire to rewild my garden, it has left me looking online at good binoculars and researching if I can spot pink-footed geese in my 5mile radius!
December 28, 2021
Apparently there are six species of geese that spend the winter in Britain. Wintering: A Season With Geese is Stephen Rutt's memoir of a winter spent traipsing around the marshes of England and Scotland in search of each of them. It's a short book and I wouldn't call it especially deep or though-provoking, but it’s beautifully written. For me the best parts of the book are about the connection that Rutt’s goose chases help him to form with his home, the surrounding environment, and the changing seasons.
My full review is at https://unsolicitedfeedback.blog/2021...
My full review is at https://unsolicitedfeedback.blog/2021...
August 16, 2023
I am not a birder, but I got interested in geese after doing sone work in Svalbard and hearing some geese human stories. I wondered what geese can tell us how to plan or (re)develop Longyearbyen or the region, and that is how I found this book. Although it is rooted in experiences from Great Britain and Svalbard was mentioned here and there, it was really a delightful reading for a rainy afternoon. I enjoyed especially the little paragraphs where he draws parallels between his own life, habits, desires, needs… and the geese, as well as the nods to other human-bird-landscape relationship books and poetry.
October 6, 2025
This book starts with the author encountering geese who he moves to a new town - and this initial section was the best part of the book. Slowly the book morphs into a 'seeing all the wintering geese in the UK' type of book.
(There are many books that follow this formula - seeing all the {insert taxa} in {insert region} in a {insert time scale}.)
I thought this was a bit of a shame, as I would have really liked to have read more about how the author related to and learnt about the geese in his patch.
I did enjoy the book - but I have read a good number that follow this formula, and was looking for something a bit different.
SM
(There are many books that follow this formula - seeing all the {insert taxa} in {insert region} in a {insert time scale}.)
I thought this was a bit of a shame, as I would have really liked to have read more about how the author related to and learnt about the geese in his patch.
I did enjoy the book - but I have read a good number that follow this formula, and was looking for something a bit different.
SM
January 5, 2021
An inspiring paean of praise to geese - as the author moves from East Anglia where they form part of every winter, to the Scottish Borders, where they fly over and settle to feed on the Solway Firth, he is moved by their wild beauty and the way they lift him over the dark long winter days.
This book made me want to read his first, "Seafarers", which he was finishing as he moved north and became filled with love of geese.
This book made me want to read his first, "Seafarers", which he was finishing as he moved north and became filled with love of geese.
May 5, 2021
An evocative and highly informative exploration on geese as they head to Scotland and the UK for the winter. The prose was easy to follow yet written in such a way that it created a fantastic sense of time and place that was vivid and easy to imagine, while learning about geese. Looking forward to reading other books by the author.
September 29, 2021
A lovely book to read at this time of year -early autumn - as the geese return from the north and we hear and see them in fighter command morning and evening.Helps distinguish between the various geese in a short easy to read book.
His admiration for geese is rather confused though by admitting it’s on the table every Christmas but he comes across honest and interesting as is the book
His admiration for geese is rather confused though by admitting it’s on the table every Christmas but he comes across honest and interesting as is the book
February 21, 2020
Lovely book about a bird we can sometimes take for granted. A good book to read cosy inside while it's wet and windy outdoors. I love hearing the geese arrive in Autumn and feel sad when they leave us in Spring so could relate to th author's growing attachment to them.
October 17, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed this read ... visited some areas and wildlife reserves I know well; and revealed much I did not know or understand about species of geese I thought I knew well ... and even more about those where I clearly had a lot to learn.
July 28, 2020
British nature writing is all I need right now.
December 29, 2020
A thoughtful and reflective account of how the author discovered the attractions of wild geese, and how, in getting out to follow them and find them, he saved himself from an attack of the winter blues. He has a nice way with description.
January 28, 2021
Living proof that books don't need to be long, or exciting, to be wonderful.
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