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Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other
In early 2020, wildlife cameraman James Aldred was commissioned to film the lives of a family of Goshawks in the New Forest, his childhood home. He began to plan a treetop hide in a remote site that would allow him to film the Gos nest, the newly hatched chicks and the lives of these elusive and enchanting birds.
Then lockdown.
And as the world retreated, something remarkable happened. The noise of our everyday stilled. No more cars, no more off-roaders, no more airplanes roaring in the skies, no one in the Goshawk woods – except James. At this unique moment, James was granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep filming.
And so, over Spring and into Summer, he began to record his experiences in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life. Amidst the fragility and the fear, there was silver moonlight, tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring Goshawks – shining like fire through one of our darkest times. A Goshawk summer unlike any other.
Then lockdown.
And as the world retreated, something remarkable happened. The noise of our everyday stilled. No more cars, no more off-roaders, no more airplanes roaring in the skies, no one in the Goshawk woods – except James. At this unique moment, James was granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep filming.
And so, over Spring and into Summer, he began to record his experiences in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life. Amidst the fragility and the fear, there was silver moonlight, tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring Goshawks – shining like fire through one of our darkest times. A Goshawk summer unlike any other.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2021
42 people are currently reading
654 people want to read
About the author
James Aldred
12 books10 followersJames Aldred is an EMMY award-winning cameraman, adventurer and professional tree climber who has made a career out of travelling the world, filming wildlife for the BBC and climbing trees
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
July 28, 2021
Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other is a fascinating and stunningly observed book based primarily upon field diaries Aldred kept while filming for a Smithsonian wildlife documentary. It begins in Spring 2020 when the wildlife cameraman was readying himself to film the lives of a family of Goshawks in the New Forest, one of the most spectacular birds of prey in the UK. Then lockdown unexpectedly struck. And there was nobody left in the Goshawk woods – except James. New Forest, England, his writings begin on 6 April 2020, just as new life awakens and seeds begin to sprout, signalling the annual evolution of the ecological and the rich beginnings of mother nature’s glorious annual bounty. A loud call shatters the peace. Not the blunt mewing of a buzzard, but the piercing cry of something infinitely more predatory: a wild goshawk. It echoes through the dense woodland. Strident, commanding, forceful. A regal sound for a regal bird. Aldred can’t see her but know she’s flying towards him through the trees. She’s coming in fast and there’s only seconds before she explodes into frame.
Rolling the camera just in time to catch her landing on the nest. Powerful legs held out in front; a squirrel’s limp body clenched in her yellow fist. The chicks clamour for food and a heartbeat later they’re rewarded with morsels of flesh plucked from the warm carcass. The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene. The wood holds its breath, the only sound the begging of the chicks and the gentle breeze sieving through trees. The forest hasn’t been this peaceful for a thousand years. Aldred grew up here. Made friends, climbed trees, slept rough on the heath and camped in the woods, but he’s never known it like this. There isn’t another soul around and while Covid grips the outside world, the New Forest blossoms in a spring like no other. Nature’s been given the space to unfurl her wings and they are. There are many terrible things to remember about the spring and summer of 2020, but Aldred was not only one of the lucky ones to watch a high-speed hunter effortlessly weave its way through its forest home, but he also got to explore many other aspects of nature, too. The narrative flows seamlessly, is laced with interesting scientific tidbits and Aldred exudes enthusiasm for his subjects, which he describes in richly evocative language.
With permission to film in the New Forest, lockdown gave him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe the wildlife of a unique place in a unique moment never to be repeated. This is a tale of reawakened passions for a familiar childhood landscape now struggling to cope with the pressures of the modern world. A portrait in time, as seen through the eyes of the wild creatures relying on it for their survival. Above all, it’s the story of how one family of goshawks living in a timeless corner of England shone like fire through one of our darkest times and how, for the author, they became a symbol of hope for the future. Filled with the ups and downs of an unprecedented time, Aldred recalls his precious time spent observing these beautiful specimens in their own habitat and writes in exquisitely lyrical prose - rich and colourful - evoking the sights, scents and sounds of the forest floor all the way up to the tree-top canopy. Documenting how when humanity shifted to indoor living, nature came alive and began to thrive spectacularly highlights just how big an impact our behaviour has on our ability to be symbiotic with the natural world and just how much immersing ourselves in nature can replenish us and create both hope and healing and therefore optimism for the journey ahead. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Rolling the camera just in time to catch her landing on the nest. Powerful legs held out in front; a squirrel’s limp body clenched in her yellow fist. The chicks clamour for food and a heartbeat later they’re rewarded with morsels of flesh plucked from the warm carcass. The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene. The wood holds its breath, the only sound the begging of the chicks and the gentle breeze sieving through trees. The forest hasn’t been this peaceful for a thousand years. Aldred grew up here. Made friends, climbed trees, slept rough on the heath and camped in the woods, but he’s never known it like this. There isn’t another soul around and while Covid grips the outside world, the New Forest blossoms in a spring like no other. Nature’s been given the space to unfurl her wings and they are. There are many terrible things to remember about the spring and summer of 2020, but Aldred was not only one of the lucky ones to watch a high-speed hunter effortlessly weave its way through its forest home, but he also got to explore many other aspects of nature, too. The narrative flows seamlessly, is laced with interesting scientific tidbits and Aldred exudes enthusiasm for his subjects, which he describes in richly evocative language.
With permission to film in the New Forest, lockdown gave him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe the wildlife of a unique place in a unique moment never to be repeated. This is a tale of reawakened passions for a familiar childhood landscape now struggling to cope with the pressures of the modern world. A portrait in time, as seen through the eyes of the wild creatures relying on it for their survival. Above all, it’s the story of how one family of goshawks living in a timeless corner of England shone like fire through one of our darkest times and how, for the author, they became a symbol of hope for the future. Filled with the ups and downs of an unprecedented time, Aldred recalls his precious time spent observing these beautiful specimens in their own habitat and writes in exquisitely lyrical prose - rich and colourful - evoking the sights, scents and sounds of the forest floor all the way up to the tree-top canopy. Documenting how when humanity shifted to indoor living, nature came alive and began to thrive spectacularly highlights just how big an impact our behaviour has on our ability to be symbiotic with the natural world and just how much immersing ourselves in nature can replenish us and create both hope and healing and therefore optimism for the journey ahead. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
August 10, 2023
This is the second book of lockdown nature writing that I've read recently, and much as I enjoyed the first one, Light Rains Sometimes Fall: A British Year through Japan’s 72 Ancient Seasons, this one is my favourite.
James Alfred is a wildlife cameraman who makes it back to the UK just before the world starts to shut down boarders. He gets commissioned to film goshawks in the New Forest, along with a host of other creatures and this diary is the result. There are some delightful chapters on filming a family of foxes, and finding footage of pine martens as well as his stories of days spent in a hide in the treetops beside his Michael nest.
He packs in plenty of information on the wildlife he's filming, and how they are faring, (often badly), though the ospreys are in much better shape now than they had been. Sadly, the curlew certainly isn't. I was lucky enough to see some last year, and I would love it if we could help them back from the brink. His love of, and respect for the wildlife shines through, and I would highly recommend this to anyone.
*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion*
James Alfred is a wildlife cameraman who makes it back to the UK just before the world starts to shut down boarders. He gets commissioned to film goshawks in the New Forest, along with a host of other creatures and this diary is the result. There are some delightful chapters on filming a family of foxes, and finding footage of pine martens as well as his stories of days spent in a hide in the treetops beside his Michael nest.
He packs in plenty of information on the wildlife he's filming, and how they are faring, (often badly), though the ospreys are in much better shape now than they had been. Sadly, the curlew certainly isn't. I was lucky enough to see some last year, and I would love it if we could help them back from the brink. His love of, and respect for the wildlife shines through, and I would highly recommend this to anyone.
*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion*
September 20, 2021
He is used to some of the more exotic regions of the planet but a commission is a commission and he agrees to take on the filming of a pair of Goshawks in the place that he remembers from a childhood growing up in Ringwood on the edge of the New Forest. He meets up with one of the rangers who takes him to the locations where he knows they are nesting. The first is the best with regards to location, but there are no birds around. They spend longer looking at the other sites but have no luck. A hunch takes them back to the original one and there on the nest is a female. He has found his pair.
There is a sublime chaos about ancient woodland that speaks of perfect natural balance, and for me, such places nourish the soul like no other environment.
Just as he is preparing the site the lockdown is announced in March 2020. It looks like he won’t be filming them anytime soon, but a few weeks into the lockdown he gets the permissions that he needs to undertake the filming. HE is in the forest at a time when it feels like the world has stopped. Gone is the constant rumble of traffic across the A31, the skies are silent and empty as nothing is flying out of Southampton and Bournemouth. There is just him and this pair of Goshawks.
So begins a spring and summer of studying these birds in perfect peace, as well as the pain and pleasure of climbing 50 feet up in the air to sit in a cramped hide all day to film a pair of Goshawks. He managed to get 400 hours of filming in the end. But there is much more to that book than this. He takes time away from the Goshawks to see Curlews, a much-endangered species as well as filming a family of fox cubs in a ditch near where their earth is.
For most, the tangled web of a forest canopy is a dangerous, impenetrable barrier. Even a peregrine wouldn’t enter it at speed. Yet – as we have come to see – goshawks aren’t like other birds.
As the restrictions are slowly lifted after the first lockdown the people return to the New Forest. Then as restrictions are eased again the forest fills with cars and people. They are taking their lockdown frustrations out on the place and leave litter, block roads and driveways and generally get angry anyone for no apparent reason. He worries that the noise will cause the Goshawks to abandon the nest, but they are more of stronger stuff, they are not the alpha predator for no reason at all. He carries on the filming, watching the chicks consume vast quantities of small birds and mammals.
There is much more depth to this book than just the diary of his filming. It is also the story of a thousand-year-old forest during one of the strangest times in our recent history, but it is a collection of thoughts on our wider relationship with the natural world and how we need to change to make it better, rather than just ruin it all the time. I did like this book a lot. It is a short book so his prose is taut and considered; there is not a wasted word here, however, he still manages to convey the brutal beauty of these fantastic birds. The diary format works really well too, it is a reminder that whatever happens in our own little worlds, the earth keeps turning and gradually changing each and every day. There was a brief eulogy to his late father, Chris, at the end of the book; he shared happy times with his father in the New Forest and lockdowns and work commitments meant that he never spent as much time with him in that last year. His life was cruelly taken too quickly by cancer at the end of 2020.
There is a sublime chaos about ancient woodland that speaks of perfect natural balance, and for me, such places nourish the soul like no other environment.
Just as he is preparing the site the lockdown is announced in March 2020. It looks like he won’t be filming them anytime soon, but a few weeks into the lockdown he gets the permissions that he needs to undertake the filming. HE is in the forest at a time when it feels like the world has stopped. Gone is the constant rumble of traffic across the A31, the skies are silent and empty as nothing is flying out of Southampton and Bournemouth. There is just him and this pair of Goshawks.
So begins a spring and summer of studying these birds in perfect peace, as well as the pain and pleasure of climbing 50 feet up in the air to sit in a cramped hide all day to film a pair of Goshawks. He managed to get 400 hours of filming in the end. But there is much more to that book than this. He takes time away from the Goshawks to see Curlews, a much-endangered species as well as filming a family of fox cubs in a ditch near where their earth is.
For most, the tangled web of a forest canopy is a dangerous, impenetrable barrier. Even a peregrine wouldn’t enter it at speed. Yet – as we have come to see – goshawks aren’t like other birds.
As the restrictions are slowly lifted after the first lockdown the people return to the New Forest. Then as restrictions are eased again the forest fills with cars and people. They are taking their lockdown frustrations out on the place and leave litter, block roads and driveways and generally get angry anyone for no apparent reason. He worries that the noise will cause the Goshawks to abandon the nest, but they are more of stronger stuff, they are not the alpha predator for no reason at all. He carries on the filming, watching the chicks consume vast quantities of small birds and mammals.
There is much more depth to this book than just the diary of his filming. It is also the story of a thousand-year-old forest during one of the strangest times in our recent history, but it is a collection of thoughts on our wider relationship with the natural world and how we need to change to make it better, rather than just ruin it all the time. I did like this book a lot. It is a short book so his prose is taut and considered; there is not a wasted word here, however, he still manages to convey the brutal beauty of these fantastic birds. The diary format works really well too, it is a reminder that whatever happens in our own little worlds, the earth keeps turning and gradually changing each and every day. There was a brief eulogy to his late father, Chris, at the end of the book; he shared happy times with his father in the New Forest and lockdowns and work commitments meant that he never spent as much time with him in that last year. His life was cruelly taken too quickly by cancer at the end of 2020.
September 22, 2021
My second nature book about the New Forest this year (after The Circling Sky by Neil Ansell) has only sharpened my hankering to get back there and have a good wander after many years away. In March 2020, Aldred had recently returned from filming cheetahs in Kenya when the UK went into its first national lockdown. He had the good fortune to obtain authorization from Forestry England that allowed him to travel regularly from his home in Somerset to the New Forest to gather footage for a documentary for the Smithsonian channel.
Zooming up on empty roads and staying in local cottages so he can start at 4 each morning, he marvels at the peace of a place when humans are taken out of the equation. His diary chronicles a few months of extraordinary wildlife encounters – not only with the goshawks across from whose nest he built a special treetop platform, but also with dragonflies, fox cubs, and rare birds like cuckoo and Dartford warbler. The descriptions of animal behaviour are superb, and the tone is well balanced: alongside the delight of nature watching is anger at human exploitation of the area after the reopening and despair at seemingly intractable declines – of 46 curlew pairs in the Forest, only three chicks survived that summer.
Despite the woe at nest failures and needless roadkill, Aldred is optimistic – in a similar way to Ansell – that sites like the New Forest can be a model of how light-handed management might allow animals to flourish. “I believe that a little space goes a long way and sometimes all we really need to do is take a step back to let nature do its thing. … It is nature’s ability to help itself, to survive in spite of us in fact, that gives me tentative hope”.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Zooming up on empty roads and staying in local cottages so he can start at 4 each morning, he marvels at the peace of a place when humans are taken out of the equation. His diary chronicles a few months of extraordinary wildlife encounters – not only with the goshawks across from whose nest he built a special treetop platform, but also with dragonflies, fox cubs, and rare birds like cuckoo and Dartford warbler. The descriptions of animal behaviour are superb, and the tone is well balanced: alongside the delight of nature watching is anger at human exploitation of the area after the reopening and despair at seemingly intractable declines – of 46 curlew pairs in the Forest, only three chicks survived that summer.
Despite the woe at nest failures and needless roadkill, Aldred is optimistic – in a similar way to Ansell – that sites like the New Forest can be a model of how light-handed management might allow animals to flourish. “I believe that a little space goes a long way and sometimes all we really need to do is take a step back to let nature do its thing. … It is nature’s ability to help itself, to survive in spite of us in fact, that gives me tentative hope”.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
August 10, 2021
A wonderful insight into how much commitment you need to be a wildlife cameraman, all day sat in a hot hide at the top of a slowly swaying tree, up at 3am to get into the hide by causing the least stress to the animal or sitting in a ditch with water in your boots whilst being butchered by midges. Glad I got the book instead…although the challenge of have a wee in a bottle at the top of a tree does hold a certain appeal, I just couldn’t stay still for that long. James was lucky enough to be able to continue working during the first lockdown of 2020 by filming a Goshawk Nest in the New Forest. This gave him a unique view of the effects of the lockdown on nature….and also on people.
The book is written in diary format, we start off with the start of lockdown and the fears that James has were shared by many of us. Right from the start of the book James notices that things are different, there is a new silence in the woods that the animals are quick to take advantage of. James gets help from this chap called Andy, he has worked in the forest for many years and has a huge amount of knowledge, the sort of guy I wish I knew, soon the ideal spot for the hide is picked and luckily that is where a pair of Goshawks decide to nest. As James is filming he shares a lot of info with the reader, a remarkable bird, almost the ultimate killer with a very high successful kill rate. In-between days filming the nest James also spends time filming a family of foxes, his descriptions really capture your imagination and you can almost see the fox cubs rolling around in the bracken having a scrap. His knowledge of wildlife doesn’t stop there, any creature he spots there was something new for this reader to learn, most interesting was the Cuckoo’s colouring.
The pandemic is always in the background of the book and James witnesses the utter chaos of the lockdown ending and the 1000’s of people heading out to dump on nature, I saw the photos on social media but it is really hard to see it written down as James sees the peace shattered and any good done to nature is quickly undone. He doesn’t let it get to him though, luckily the Goshawk nest isn’t upset and he continues to film the chicks as they develop their own little personalities.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, the wonderful writing makes it easy to read and so much knowledge has been shared, my daughter is going to read this next….the selling point was the peeing in a tree haha.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2021...
The book is written in diary format, we start off with the start of lockdown and the fears that James has were shared by many of us. Right from the start of the book James notices that things are different, there is a new silence in the woods that the animals are quick to take advantage of. James gets help from this chap called Andy, he has worked in the forest for many years and has a huge amount of knowledge, the sort of guy I wish I knew, soon the ideal spot for the hide is picked and luckily that is where a pair of Goshawks decide to nest. As James is filming he shares a lot of info with the reader, a remarkable bird, almost the ultimate killer with a very high successful kill rate. In-between days filming the nest James also spends time filming a family of foxes, his descriptions really capture your imagination and you can almost see the fox cubs rolling around in the bracken having a scrap. His knowledge of wildlife doesn’t stop there, any creature he spots there was something new for this reader to learn, most interesting was the Cuckoo’s colouring.
The pandemic is always in the background of the book and James witnesses the utter chaos of the lockdown ending and the 1000’s of people heading out to dump on nature, I saw the photos on social media but it is really hard to see it written down as James sees the peace shattered and any good done to nature is quickly undone. He doesn’t let it get to him though, luckily the Goshawk nest isn’t upset and he continues to film the chicks as they develop their own little personalities.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, the wonderful writing makes it easy to read and so much knowledge has been shared, my daughter is going to read this next….the selling point was the peeing in a tree haha.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2021...
July 13, 2021
The quite excellent naturalist Helen Macdonald, whose two books to date rank amongst my favourite nature books, calls James Aldred's Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Like No Other 'magical and transporting'. If I wasn't already fascinated in Aldred's subject - the goshawk - Macdonald's quote alone would have drawn me to pick this up.
Aldred is the author of one previous book, entitled The Man Who Climbs Trees, and has worked as a wildlife cameraman and documentary filmmaker since 1997. He has worked with the likes of the legendary David Attenborough, and has won awards for his work. As one would expect, for a filmmaker skilled particularly in filming from heights using aerial equipment, Aldred has worked all over the world. In early 2020, he was located in East Africa following a family of cheetahs.
Then, Covid spread, and lockdown happened in Britain. Aldred was granted a special dispensation to film, and spent much of the first period of lockdown in the south of England's New Forest, following a pair of goshawks as they hatched three chicks. Aldred was often the only one in the woods; this, he says, gave him 'a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep filming'. He stationed himself in a treetop hide between April and June, filming the goshawks: 'From up here the wood became a three-dimensional landscape of dense foliage and distant glimpses. The understorey below was an open colonnade of vertical trunks, but level with the nest the branches closed in and I saw corridors of approach that remained invisible from the ground. A labyrinth of shifting parallax. For a predatory bird able to curl, tuck and swerve through the smallest of gaps, that discreet canopy would be paradise.'
Goshawks are unpredictable birds; it can be incredibly difficult to locate them, as they do not like to be seen. Aldred comments: 'Some are skittish; others brazen. Some like low and stay put; others slope off the nest and melt away the moment anyone steps foot in their wood.' They more often than not nest in the same place, returning year after year; they can use the same physical nest for up to a decade.
Alongside his documentary filming, Aldred decided to keep a written record - a field diary - about his experiences. He spent an extended stretch of time in a place so devoid of people, but filled to the brim with different species, some of them rare. He writes, early on, 'Amidst the fragility and the fear, there was silver moonlight, tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the searing goshawks.' This record became Goshawk Summer. Goshawks are, of course, the focus - both of the book and of his documentary - but he also writes about other species which he comes across: foxes, curlews, pipits, and pine martens, to name but four.
The New Forest is a place which Aldred knows intimately. He speaks, very early on, of his deep affection for the region: 'To this day, part of my heart remains in the forest, dwelling in the quiet rides and woods of my childhood. Even the smell of the place stirs deep currents of longing within me.' Later, he discusses that although he knows stretches of the woods as well as he can, and has such good memories of cooking stews with his friends, and sleeping outside as a teenager, there are other parts of the New Forest which he knows not at all.
I was struck throughout by the power and visceral beauty of Aldred's prose. He writes almost like a poet, placing such emphasis on using precise and beautiful vocabulary. Goshawk Summer begins in the following, quite breathtaking way: 'A loud call shatters the peace. Not the blunt mewing of a buzzard, but the piercing cry of something infinitely more predatory: a wild goshawk. It echoes through the woods around me. Strident, commanding, forceful. A regal sound for a regal bird.' He continues: 'The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene.' Throughout, Aldred is highly adapted to, and aware of, his surroundings - whatever they may be.
There is something so meditative about nature memoirs written during, or since, lockdown. Goshawk Summer is no different; in fact, I would go as far to say that it is the most thoughtful one which I have read to date. Along with showing joy at the way in which nature flourished in the New Forest during the first lockdown - 'Nature's been given the space to unfurl her wings and they are shimmering' - Aldred laments about the behaviour of many people when the first restrictions were lifted, destroying fragile habitats, and leaving the national park strewn with litter. The pandemic is never far away from his commentary, but he finds solace in the natural world, and having a focus during what was an incredibly strange and difficult time.
I highly appreciated the opportunity which Goshawk Summer gave me; to read a book from a perspective which I haven't been immersed within to this extent before. I love watching documentaries about wildlife cameramen, and I am in awe at the sheer amount of time and patience which it takes to film just one or two scenes. Often, though, these are relative snippets which have been tacked onto a longer documentary. Being able to read Aldred's expansive work, and his musings about his own filming, is a privilege. I found it fascinating to learn about the many preparations which he has to make before he even begins to film, such as locating a suitable filming site, whilst having a constant awareness of others close by in case something goes wrong. It is a much more intricate process than one expects.
Goshawk Summer is such a valuable addition to the canon of nature writing. Aldred has an excellent attention to detail, and I can only hope that he brings out another book very soon. This expansive and honest memoir, from a markedly different perspective, is sure to be of interest to so many readers, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Aldred is the author of one previous book, entitled The Man Who Climbs Trees, and has worked as a wildlife cameraman and documentary filmmaker since 1997. He has worked with the likes of the legendary David Attenborough, and has won awards for his work. As one would expect, for a filmmaker skilled particularly in filming from heights using aerial equipment, Aldred has worked all over the world. In early 2020, he was located in East Africa following a family of cheetahs.
Then, Covid spread, and lockdown happened in Britain. Aldred was granted a special dispensation to film, and spent much of the first period of lockdown in the south of England's New Forest, following a pair of goshawks as they hatched three chicks. Aldred was often the only one in the woods; this, he says, gave him 'a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep filming'. He stationed himself in a treetop hide between April and June, filming the goshawks: 'From up here the wood became a three-dimensional landscape of dense foliage and distant glimpses. The understorey below was an open colonnade of vertical trunks, but level with the nest the branches closed in and I saw corridors of approach that remained invisible from the ground. A labyrinth of shifting parallax. For a predatory bird able to curl, tuck and swerve through the smallest of gaps, that discreet canopy would be paradise.'
Goshawks are unpredictable birds; it can be incredibly difficult to locate them, as they do not like to be seen. Aldred comments: 'Some are skittish; others brazen. Some like low and stay put; others slope off the nest and melt away the moment anyone steps foot in their wood.' They more often than not nest in the same place, returning year after year; they can use the same physical nest for up to a decade.
Alongside his documentary filming, Aldred decided to keep a written record - a field diary - about his experiences. He spent an extended stretch of time in a place so devoid of people, but filled to the brim with different species, some of them rare. He writes, early on, 'Amidst the fragility and the fear, there was silver moonlight, tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the searing goshawks.' This record became Goshawk Summer. Goshawks are, of course, the focus - both of the book and of his documentary - but he also writes about other species which he comes across: foxes, curlews, pipits, and pine martens, to name but four.
The New Forest is a place which Aldred knows intimately. He speaks, very early on, of his deep affection for the region: 'To this day, part of my heart remains in the forest, dwelling in the quiet rides and woods of my childhood. Even the smell of the place stirs deep currents of longing within me.' Later, he discusses that although he knows stretches of the woods as well as he can, and has such good memories of cooking stews with his friends, and sleeping outside as a teenager, there are other parts of the New Forest which he knows not at all.
I was struck throughout by the power and visceral beauty of Aldred's prose. He writes almost like a poet, placing such emphasis on using precise and beautiful vocabulary. Goshawk Summer begins in the following, quite breathtaking way: 'A loud call shatters the peace. Not the blunt mewing of a buzzard, but the piercing cry of something infinitely more predatory: a wild goshawk. It echoes through the woods around me. Strident, commanding, forceful. A regal sound for a regal bird.' He continues: 'The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene.' Throughout, Aldred is highly adapted to, and aware of, his surroundings - whatever they may be.
There is something so meditative about nature memoirs written during, or since, lockdown. Goshawk Summer is no different; in fact, I would go as far to say that it is the most thoughtful one which I have read to date. Along with showing joy at the way in which nature flourished in the New Forest during the first lockdown - 'Nature's been given the space to unfurl her wings and they are shimmering' - Aldred laments about the behaviour of many people when the first restrictions were lifted, destroying fragile habitats, and leaving the national park strewn with litter. The pandemic is never far away from his commentary, but he finds solace in the natural world, and having a focus during what was an incredibly strange and difficult time.
I highly appreciated the opportunity which Goshawk Summer gave me; to read a book from a perspective which I haven't been immersed within to this extent before. I love watching documentaries about wildlife cameramen, and I am in awe at the sheer amount of time and patience which it takes to film just one or two scenes. Often, though, these are relative snippets which have been tacked onto a longer documentary. Being able to read Aldred's expansive work, and his musings about his own filming, is a privilege. I found it fascinating to learn about the many preparations which he has to make before he even begins to film, such as locating a suitable filming site, whilst having a constant awareness of others close by in case something goes wrong. It is a much more intricate process than one expects.
Goshawk Summer is such a valuable addition to the canon of nature writing. Aldred has an excellent attention to detail, and I can only hope that he brings out another book very soon. This expansive and honest memoir, from a markedly different perspective, is sure to be of interest to so many readers, and I cannot recommend it enough.
December 2, 2022
I didn’t enjoy Aldred’s writing style though I do respect that his work and painstaking collection of data. I hadn’t planned to read it. I wasn’t enticed by the ‘pandemic’ tag from the publisher, but it won the Wainwright Nature Prize, and it became harder not to.
I think he had made a mistake in referring to the pandemic so often, and in particular to the health of the Prime Minister. Between the goshawk action we almost get a day by day update on Johnson’s recovery. It comes over as political, and totally unnecessary. This was something I found particularly off-putting.
Also, passages on his dislike for dogs and their owners is something that would have been best kept to himself. Make the point and move on, no need to labour it.
Compare this to other Wainwright nominated books, for example Lee Schofield’s Wild Fell: Fighting For Nature On A Lake District Hill Farm, and it is evident that the latter has balance and compromise. Aldred comes across more as a diatribe.
In nature there has to be a place for all to enjoy. Those who do, hikers, runners, mountain bikers, artists, drivers, dog walkers, and all, must play their part as well.
In our National Park the pandemic meant practically nobody visited. It was great in that people like me had the fells almost completely to ourselves. Nature reclaimed many of the smaller tracks and paths, and are still now quite difficult to find. It meant a chance for many species to reestablish themselves in places they had long ago been driven away from. There were many more sightings of deer, foxes and badgers in local fields than previously. Over the course of a few weeks one young roe deer formed a relationship with my dog; not with me, from whom she fled when she saw me.
But now visitors have returned, much welcomed by local tourism businesses.
We must learn to live together, and balance and compromise are key.
I think he had made a mistake in referring to the pandemic so often, and in particular to the health of the Prime Minister. Between the goshawk action we almost get a day by day update on Johnson’s recovery. It comes over as political, and totally unnecessary. This was something I found particularly off-putting.
Also, passages on his dislike for dogs and their owners is something that would have been best kept to himself. Make the point and move on, no need to labour it.
Compare this to other Wainwright nominated books, for example Lee Schofield’s Wild Fell: Fighting For Nature On A Lake District Hill Farm, and it is evident that the latter has balance and compromise. Aldred comes across more as a diatribe.
In nature there has to be a place for all to enjoy. Those who do, hikers, runners, mountain bikers, artists, drivers, dog walkers, and all, must play their part as well.
In our National Park the pandemic meant practically nobody visited. It was great in that people like me had the fells almost completely to ourselves. Nature reclaimed many of the smaller tracks and paths, and are still now quite difficult to find. It meant a chance for many species to reestablish themselves in places they had long ago been driven away from. There were many more sightings of deer, foxes and badgers in local fields than previously. Over the course of a few weeks one young roe deer formed a relationship with my dog; not with me, from whom she fled when she saw me.
But now visitors have returned, much welcomed by local tourism businesses.
We must learn to live together, and balance and compromise are key.
July 26, 2021
My review is on my website www.bookread2day.wordpress.com
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Goshawk Summer A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other is a new book by James Aldred, who is the author of The Man Who Climbed Trees.
Goshawk Summer is filled with a lovely diary of events from the wildlife cameraman James Aldred. He takes readers through lockdown in spring 2020 at the New Forest in England, with his camera capturing a wild goshawk landing on a nest. While James is in the New Forest during Covid there isn’t a soul there apart from James.
His passion for filming all types of animals takes him to East Africa to a cheetah family, baby cubs and lions.
As we all know it was really difficult keeping children occupied during lockdown.
During lockdown, James takes his three boys out into the empty landscape bringing with them their bows and arrows with them.
There are many lovely dates set in his amazing diary inside this book that James tells readers all what he see, and all the exploring, watching and filming that he did.
James Aldred, is a well known cameraman who has worked with the famous David Attenborough.
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Twitter @bookread2day
Goshawk Summer A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other is a new book by James Aldred, who is the author of The Man Who Climbed Trees.
Goshawk Summer is filled with a lovely diary of events from the wildlife cameraman James Aldred. He takes readers through lockdown in spring 2020 at the New Forest in England, with his camera capturing a wild goshawk landing on a nest. While James is in the New Forest during Covid there isn’t a soul there apart from James.
His passion for filming all types of animals takes him to East Africa to a cheetah family, baby cubs and lions.
As we all know it was really difficult keeping children occupied during lockdown.
During lockdown, James takes his three boys out into the empty landscape bringing with them their bows and arrows with them.
There are many lovely dates set in his amazing diary inside this book that James tells readers all what he see, and all the exploring, watching and filming that he did.
James Aldred, is a well known cameraman who has worked with the famous David Attenborough.
March 1, 2023
What a joyous find this book was. I was looking for something a bit different and found it.
Set during that first crazy year of lockdown, the parallels with all that was unfolding in the wider world and what was happening on a single goshawk nest in the New Forest and the wilder environs was fascinating. The invasion of the countryside when restrictions were eased is covered brilliantly as well. That impossible balancing act of engaging people and people damaging the very environment they wanted to engage with to ease the claustrophobia of the lockdown was incredible to read from an environmentalists point of view.
The wildlife is amazing as well .. it really felt you were transported the heart of the woodlands with the wonderful descriptions.
Heartily recommend if you want a wildlife book with a difference. 5*'s from me!
Set during that first crazy year of lockdown, the parallels with all that was unfolding in the wider world and what was happening on a single goshawk nest in the New Forest and the wilder environs was fascinating. The invasion of the countryside when restrictions were eased is covered brilliantly as well. That impossible balancing act of engaging people and people damaging the very environment they wanted to engage with to ease the claustrophobia of the lockdown was incredible to read from an environmentalists point of view.
The wildlife is amazing as well .. it really felt you were transported the heart of the woodlands with the wonderful descriptions.
Heartily recommend if you want a wildlife book with a difference. 5*'s from me!
November 21, 2025
Eh it’s alright like
July 30, 2021
Over the past months of the pandemic I think some of us have been privileged to discover something of the beauty of the natural world and the calm mindfulness of walking in woodland, admiring the sounds of birds and the soft whisper of the wind in the trees. Whilst I didn't discover a Goshawk nest I did marvel at seeing things in nature I hadn't seen before, like watching a huge murmuration of starlings in the early dusk of a winter afternoon, and being in awe of the magnitude and magic of a natural spectacle of nature.
In Goshawk Summer, Emmy Award winning filmmaker, James Aldred writes very eloquently about his once in a lifetime privilege of observing, at close quarters, a female goshawk, and her mate, as they attempt to rear their offspring, in a place where even the hunters face their own immediate danger.
The country has been in lockdown for just two weeks in April 2020 when the author is given the unique opportunity to film a pair of mated goshawks in the New Forest. Magnificent hunting birds, who value their privacy so much that tracking their chosen nesting area makes for fascinating reading. However, it is in the description of these ancient hunters which brings the story to life with a lyricism which caught my attention from the very first page...
"The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene..."
The book moves softly, and silently, through the months of summer from April, until the end of June 2020, and does so in diary entries which record just what James observed in the woods, his relationship with nature, and more importantly what he learned about, and from the goshawks, as they live out their challenging, but majestic lives. Sharply observed, every nuance of the woodland area is investigated and brought to life, and the narrative is so finely placed it feels cinematic in quality just as though you are cocooned high above the canopy of the New Forest watching as the ancient woodland unfolds deep below you to share its innermost secrets.
I found the whole of Goshawk Summer quite magical and if you enjoy the natural world, then I am sure you will too. A portion of royalties from Goshawk Summer are being donated to the Marie Curie charity.
In Goshawk Summer, Emmy Award winning filmmaker, James Aldred writes very eloquently about his once in a lifetime privilege of observing, at close quarters, a female goshawk, and her mate, as they attempt to rear their offspring, in a place where even the hunters face their own immediate danger.
The country has been in lockdown for just two weeks in April 2020 when the author is given the unique opportunity to film a pair of mated goshawks in the New Forest. Magnificent hunting birds, who value their privacy so much that tracking their chosen nesting area makes for fascinating reading. However, it is in the description of these ancient hunters which brings the story to life with a lyricism which caught my attention from the very first page...
"The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene..."
The book moves softly, and silently, through the months of summer from April, until the end of June 2020, and does so in diary entries which record just what James observed in the woods, his relationship with nature, and more importantly what he learned about, and from the goshawks, as they live out their challenging, but majestic lives. Sharply observed, every nuance of the woodland area is investigated and brought to life, and the narrative is so finely placed it feels cinematic in quality just as though you are cocooned high above the canopy of the New Forest watching as the ancient woodland unfolds deep below you to share its innermost secrets.
I found the whole of Goshawk Summer quite magical and if you enjoy the natural world, then I am sure you will too. A portion of royalties from Goshawk Summer are being donated to the Marie Curie charity.
August 10, 2023
This was a beautifully written book capturing the elusive nature of goshawks, the surreality of the first pandemic lockdown, the attempts at minimising intrusion upon nature and the balance of "managing" forestry in the UK.
Aldred writes well, really summoning the feel and atmosphere of a sultry sinking sun or a dewy morning or a misty hazy day. His job sounds incredibly tedious at times yet so so rewarding for the glimpses into species that we wouldn't otherwise encounter. His discussions of foxes, curlews, deer and badgers amongst others are magical.
For a nature lover, this was a fantastic book.
Aldred writes well, really summoning the feel and atmosphere of a sultry sinking sun or a dewy morning or a misty hazy day. His job sounds incredibly tedious at times yet so so rewarding for the glimpses into species that we wouldn't otherwise encounter. His discussions of foxes, curlews, deer and badgers amongst others are magical.
For a nature lover, this was a fantastic book.
June 3, 2022
Goshawk Summer tells of wildlife cameraman James Aldred's experience in the spring & summer of 2020 in the New Forest, UK. He is there to monitor and note breeding goshawks for a documentary during the pandemic at a time when the public are quarantined so there is minimal human intrusion.
I found this book really interesting and as well as the goshawks, pine martins, foxes and other animals are mentioned which make it even more fascinating.
The book is so atmospheric and he really brings in alive, you can just imagine it so very easily.
I would recommended this to anyone with a love of nature.
My thanks go to NetGalley, the author and the publisher in providing this arc in return for honest review.
I found this book really interesting and as well as the goshawks, pine martins, foxes and other animals are mentioned which make it even more fascinating.
The book is so atmospheric and he really brings in alive, you can just imagine it so very easily.
I would recommended this to anyone with a love of nature.
My thanks go to NetGalley, the author and the publisher in providing this arc in return for honest review.
January 22, 2023
4.5* Goshawk Summer is the first piece of nature writing I’ve read and I couldn’t have chosen a better book as my first read in the genre. Fascinating and engaging, James Aldred has a real talent for incredibly transportive and visual writing. At times I felt as though I were reading a nature documentary (I don’t know if this makes sense but it makes sense to me…) I absolutely loved this book and am very grateful to it for introducing me to a whole new exciting genre.
August 21, 2024
An interesting read especially after hanging out with goshawks this past summer in the US. Reveals the issues facing England's natural areas and gives Americans and naturalists lots of neat words like sett, parallax, yarak, earths, etc...
September 22, 2022
Wonderful book - such insights into the life and behaviour of goshawks, and lots of other interesting information about the New Forest and other animals. Plus beautifully written and very readable.
October 3, 2021
James Aldred, an Emmy award-winning nature photographer, has captured the beauty of an English forest and it's inhabitants in the middle of a pandemic lockdown in his stunning new book. From a platform fifty feet high in the woods of the New Forest, Aldred observes a family of goshawks from dawn to dusk on his remote perch. Goshawks are raptors who rely on hearing and vision while hunting and are "supreme ambush predators" in the densely forested habitat. The narrative begins in April and continues each day as the goshawks raise their chicks in the quiet woods, where birds call to each other and other animals (including Aldred) enjoy the peace and quiet of England's lockdown. Descriptive scenes of the deep forest and his surroundings put the reader right in the middle of this remarkable story, which describes the history of the area and the wildlife encountered. A gifted photographer and writer, Aldred transports you into another world to experience and appreciate the beauty of nature through his eyes and the animals who make the New Forest such a treasure. If you are a fan of Helen Macdonald's classic book "H is for Hawk", you will fall in love with goshawks all over again in "Goshawk Summer" and appreciate the effort to bring back this majestic raptor from extinction.
My sincere thank you to Elliott & Thompson and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My sincere thank you to Elliott & Thompson and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 20, 2021
I really enjoyed Aldred's last book, 'The Man Who Climbs Trees', so I jumped at the chance to read his second. Interestingly, Aldred's prose didn't stand out to me all that much the last time around, whereas I found it astounding and assured in 'Goshawk Summer'.
Aldred is a person who really sees the natural world. His myriad observations were both original and beautiful; like the way he finds that the colour of a fox cub's coat subtly shifts with the seasons. As for the goshawks, you continually feel the author's marvel emanating off the pages.
The book, as you might expect, has a pretty single-minded focus. Yet there are plenty of asides into other topics like the history of the New Forest, or the population fluxes of different bird species, which I found myself relishing and appreciating. Aldred teaches the reader by stealth, and the science he slips in is never overwhelming. The narrative flows effortlessly.
Absolutely one of my favourite nature books of the year.
(With thanks to Elliott & Thompson and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)
Aldred is a person who really sees the natural world. His myriad observations were both original and beautiful; like the way he finds that the colour of a fox cub's coat subtly shifts with the seasons. As for the goshawks, you continually feel the author's marvel emanating off the pages.
The book, as you might expect, has a pretty single-minded focus. Yet there are plenty of asides into other topics like the history of the New Forest, or the population fluxes of different bird species, which I found myself relishing and appreciating. Aldred teaches the reader by stealth, and the science he slips in is never overwhelming. The narrative flows effortlessly.
Absolutely one of my favourite nature books of the year.
(With thanks to Elliott & Thompson and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)
March 21, 2024
In the spring of 2020 nature photographer James Aldred began a project filled with unexpected elation and profound contemplation against the backdrop of England's covid lockdown. He returns to his childhood haunts in the New Forest to film a nesting pair of goshawks. His writing is lyrical, bringing a cinematic quality that exceeds even the capacity of his camera. The bird he is filming is reclusive and enigmatic: “The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene. The wood holds its breath, the only sound the begging of the chicks and the gentle breeze sieving through trees. The forest hasn't been this peaceful for a thousand years.” (p.3)
His project begins in April. The New Forest is still chilly and wet. The wind is strong enough to give him pause as it whips through the overstory. This is when Aldred and Andy Page, head keeper of the New Forest, locate a nest with tell-tale signs of refurbishing. Nearby is a tree tall enough for viewing from branches they hope – fingers crossed – will remain secure under the weight of the tent-like hide and bulky equipment.
Their preparations must be executed at a snail's pace to avoid spooking the birds. Aldred is received with grudging tolerance. When his wedding ring accidentally taps his metal tripod, the nesting female turns and gives him a severe glare. Everything depends on silence and routine.
During the month-long incubation of the eggs, which in Aldred's hands is exciting, he widens his scope to the unique ecology of the New Forest. It was set aside by William the Conqueror as a royal hunting preserve. Contrary to its name, it is not a continuous expanse of trees. Patches of heath and bog-like mires dot the landscape. He approaches one such mire: “The ground falls away in front of us to reveal a far-reaching patchwork of heath and marsh below. These overlooked but expansive margins are some of the forest's most precious and unique landscapes, truly prehistoric and extremely susceptible to damage from development and modern intensive farming. Islands of Scots pine punctuate the scene and drifts of white bog cotton show where an extensive mire lies hidden beneath the dun-coloured grass. There are only 120 valley mires left in the whole of Western Europe and no fewer than ninety of these are found right here in New Forest.” (p.85) This diversity hosts equally fragile populations of wildlife, such as the curlew, a ground nesting bird which Aldred seizes the opportunity to film. Likewise, the earthen den of a family of rural foxes catches his interest. Unlike the goshawks, any tell-tale trace of his presence will cause them to disappear into the scrub to excavate a new den.
The time period is short. By the end of June it's all over. The fledglings are ready to leave the nest. The female can finally spread her wings and her mate will no longer need to supply her with food. The fates of the spring's crop of newborns he had been observing fade into the unknowable. Like all partings the mood is elegiacal.
A 1976 book by Leslie Brown lamented the disappearance of the goshawk in Great Britain. The first official evidence of its return in the New Forest was spotted by Andy Page in 2001. Aldred celebrates this resurgence as a signal that this wild habitat which he loves so much may still be saved. This book represents his slender hope that a wider audience, both urban dwellers and rural locals, will rethink their relationship to the wild. He hopes to create a more informed view that will stave off the cacophony and crowding he sees as lockdown restrictions ease. These precious landscapes should not be treated as pleasure parks, yielding to demands for greater access, more parking, and recreational amenities. This detailed and intimate book accomplishes, perhaps more than an easily digestible documentary, the urgency of a more thoughtful understanding of our relationship to the natural world.
His project begins in April. The New Forest is still chilly and wet. The wind is strong enough to give him pause as it whips through the overstory. This is when Aldred and Andy Page, head keeper of the New Forest, locate a nest with tell-tale signs of refurbishing. Nearby is a tree tall enough for viewing from branches they hope – fingers crossed – will remain secure under the weight of the tent-like hide and bulky equipment.
Their preparations must be executed at a snail's pace to avoid spooking the birds. Aldred is received with grudging tolerance. When his wedding ring accidentally taps his metal tripod, the nesting female turns and gives him a severe glare. Everything depends on silence and routine.
During the month-long incubation of the eggs, which in Aldred's hands is exciting, he widens his scope to the unique ecology of the New Forest. It was set aside by William the Conqueror as a royal hunting preserve. Contrary to its name, it is not a continuous expanse of trees. Patches of heath and bog-like mires dot the landscape. He approaches one such mire: “The ground falls away in front of us to reveal a far-reaching patchwork of heath and marsh below. These overlooked but expansive margins are some of the forest's most precious and unique landscapes, truly prehistoric and extremely susceptible to damage from development and modern intensive farming. Islands of Scots pine punctuate the scene and drifts of white bog cotton show where an extensive mire lies hidden beneath the dun-coloured grass. There are only 120 valley mires left in the whole of Western Europe and no fewer than ninety of these are found right here in New Forest.” (p.85) This diversity hosts equally fragile populations of wildlife, such as the curlew, a ground nesting bird which Aldred seizes the opportunity to film. Likewise, the earthen den of a family of rural foxes catches his interest. Unlike the goshawks, any tell-tale trace of his presence will cause them to disappear into the scrub to excavate a new den.
The time period is short. By the end of June it's all over. The fledglings are ready to leave the nest. The female can finally spread her wings and her mate will no longer need to supply her with food. The fates of the spring's crop of newborns he had been observing fade into the unknowable. Like all partings the mood is elegiacal.
A 1976 book by Leslie Brown lamented the disappearance of the goshawk in Great Britain. The first official evidence of its return in the New Forest was spotted by Andy Page in 2001. Aldred celebrates this resurgence as a signal that this wild habitat which he loves so much may still be saved. This book represents his slender hope that a wider audience, both urban dwellers and rural locals, will rethink their relationship to the wild. He hopes to create a more informed view that will stave off the cacophony and crowding he sees as lockdown restrictions ease. These precious landscapes should not be treated as pleasure parks, yielding to demands for greater access, more parking, and recreational amenities. This detailed and intimate book accomplishes, perhaps more than an easily digestible documentary, the urgency of a more thoughtful understanding of our relationship to the natural world.
January 15, 2023
James Aldred ist Kameramann und Filmemacher, der sich auf das Filmen von Tieren spezialisiert hat. Er hat mit Sir Richard Attenborough zusammengearbeitet und hat für seine Dokumentation einen Emmy bekommen. Im Frühling und Sommer 2020 hatte er die einmalige Chance, das Nest eines Habichts von der Ankunft der Eltern bis zum Flüggewerden der Jungen unter besonderen Bedingungen zu filmen.
Schon als er nach seinem Aufenthalt in Afrika, wo er eine Familie von Geparden gefilmt hat, am heimischen Flughafen ankommt, merkt er, dass etwas im Gang ist, auch wenn man bis dahin nur wenig Konkretes wusste. Wenige Tage später war der Lockdown da. James durfte seine Arbeit fortsetzen und erlebte den New Forrest in einer besonderen Atmosphäre.
Wo sonst Scharen von Tagestouristen unterwegs sind, gab es plötzlich nur noch ihn, seinen Kameramann und den Ranger. Auf der einen Seite waren es perfekte Bedingungen weil sie ungestört waren, Auf der anderen Seite fielen die drei Männer so aber den Vögeln mehr auf, eben weil sie die einzigen waren, die sich im Wald aufhielten und so unter ständiger Beobachtung standen.
James erzählt, wie die Natur sich schon nach kurzer Zeit den neuen Bedingungen anpasste. Das fiel ihm nicht nur im New Forrest auf, sondern auch in direkter Umgebung seines Hauses. Stück für Stück eroberten sich Vögel und andere Tiere den bebauten Raum zurück, weil sich die Menschen sich kaum noch draußen aufhalten durften. Auf der morgendlichen Fahrt zum New Forrest musste er irgendwann nicht mehr auf andere Fahrzeuge auf der Straße achten, sondern vielmehr auf Wild.
Als die Menschen wieder in den New Forrest kamen, verdrehte sich die Situation ins Gegenteil. Die Menschen wirkten wie entfesselt und nahmen keine Rücksicht mehr. Es gab Streit und Parkplötze, Radfahrer rasten auf den Wegen und eine Hundehalterin feuerte ihre Hunde sogar noch an, als sie ein Vogelnest auf dem Boden fanden und zerstörten. Vor dieser Kulisse liefen die Dreharbeiten fast täglich weiter und manchmal kam es James so vor, als ob er auf dem Beobachtungsposten hoch im Baum leben würde.
Was eine Dokumentation über ein Habichtgelege werden sollte, wurde viel mehr. James Aldred beschreibt das außergewöhnliche Jahr nicht nur aus Sicht des Vogelbeobachters, sondern auch mit vielen persönlichen Eindrücken und macht es so nicht nur für Vogelliebhaber zu etwas Besonderem.
Schon als er nach seinem Aufenthalt in Afrika, wo er eine Familie von Geparden gefilmt hat, am heimischen Flughafen ankommt, merkt er, dass etwas im Gang ist, auch wenn man bis dahin nur wenig Konkretes wusste. Wenige Tage später war der Lockdown da. James durfte seine Arbeit fortsetzen und erlebte den New Forrest in einer besonderen Atmosphäre.
Wo sonst Scharen von Tagestouristen unterwegs sind, gab es plötzlich nur noch ihn, seinen Kameramann und den Ranger. Auf der einen Seite waren es perfekte Bedingungen weil sie ungestört waren, Auf der anderen Seite fielen die drei Männer so aber den Vögeln mehr auf, eben weil sie die einzigen waren, die sich im Wald aufhielten und so unter ständiger Beobachtung standen.
James erzählt, wie die Natur sich schon nach kurzer Zeit den neuen Bedingungen anpasste. Das fiel ihm nicht nur im New Forrest auf, sondern auch in direkter Umgebung seines Hauses. Stück für Stück eroberten sich Vögel und andere Tiere den bebauten Raum zurück, weil sich die Menschen sich kaum noch draußen aufhalten durften. Auf der morgendlichen Fahrt zum New Forrest musste er irgendwann nicht mehr auf andere Fahrzeuge auf der Straße achten, sondern vielmehr auf Wild.
Als die Menschen wieder in den New Forrest kamen, verdrehte sich die Situation ins Gegenteil. Die Menschen wirkten wie entfesselt und nahmen keine Rücksicht mehr. Es gab Streit und Parkplötze, Radfahrer rasten auf den Wegen und eine Hundehalterin feuerte ihre Hunde sogar noch an, als sie ein Vogelnest auf dem Boden fanden und zerstörten. Vor dieser Kulisse liefen die Dreharbeiten fast täglich weiter und manchmal kam es James so vor, als ob er auf dem Beobachtungsposten hoch im Baum leben würde.
Was eine Dokumentation über ein Habichtgelege werden sollte, wurde viel mehr. James Aldred beschreibt das außergewöhnliche Jahr nicht nur aus Sicht des Vogelbeobachters, sondern auch mit vielen persönlichen Eindrücken und macht es so nicht nur für Vogelliebhaber zu etwas Besonderem.
December 15, 2021
James Aldred filmed a family of goshawks in the New Forest over the course of the summer in the middle of a global pandemic.
The images he evokes in his diary entries are highly descriptive and transport you to the heart of the natural environment. Other creatures are also described - Dartford warblers, curlews, dragonflies, foxes among them - and James's love for, and understanding of, these creatures shines through every paragraph.
What also comes across is the contrast between these natural scenes and the intrusion of people escaping lockdown as they trample all over the New Forest, causing traffic jams and littering. As James observes the goshawks, we come to appreciate and understand this elusive and intelligent raptor, and how it has fought back from near extinction.
Wildlife books are also ways of engaging discussion about our interaction with nature and finding a balance between enjoying the natural landscape and preserving its integrity. These environments are not just for our own use but primarily for the creatures who live there and depend on its resources.
I was particularly drawn by James's dedication, getting up before dawn to spend the day filming the nest and always managing to find something different to say or observe about the forest as he arrived - whether a bird calling or the trees and plant life. One thing that stuck in my mind was the peace and tranquillity contrasted with the noise and chaos of everyday life.
This is a magical book and I thoroughly recommend it.
I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Elliott & Thompson, in return for an honest appraisal.
The images he evokes in his diary entries are highly descriptive and transport you to the heart of the natural environment. Other creatures are also described - Dartford warblers, curlews, dragonflies, foxes among them - and James's love for, and understanding of, these creatures shines through every paragraph.
What also comes across is the contrast between these natural scenes and the intrusion of people escaping lockdown as they trample all over the New Forest, causing traffic jams and littering. As James observes the goshawks, we come to appreciate and understand this elusive and intelligent raptor, and how it has fought back from near extinction.
Wildlife books are also ways of engaging discussion about our interaction with nature and finding a balance between enjoying the natural landscape and preserving its integrity. These environments are not just for our own use but primarily for the creatures who live there and depend on its resources.
I was particularly drawn by James's dedication, getting up before dawn to spend the day filming the nest and always managing to find something different to say or observe about the forest as he arrived - whether a bird calling or the trees and plant life. One thing that stuck in my mind was the peace and tranquillity contrasted with the noise and chaos of everyday life.
This is a magical book and I thoroughly recommend it.
I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Elliott & Thompson, in return for an honest appraisal.
August 7, 2023
Goshawk Summer is wildlife cameraman James Aldred's diary from his return to the New Forest of his childhood to film a goshawk nest.
"The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene. The wood holds its breath, the only sound the begging of the chicks and the gentle breeze sieving through trees. The forest hasn’t been this peaceful for a thousand years."
His previous assignment was in Kenya, filming cheetahs, and he returned to Britain just before the first covid lockdown in March 2020. Lucky enough to be allowed a permit to film in the forest, he spends much of his time in a hide high in a neighbouring tree, camera fixed on the nest. Being such an unusual and terrifying time, and working in a place so close to his heart, makes his story very personal and affecting. This intimate view of a bird rarely seen is utterly captivating.
As well as the goshawk nest, he also visits a fox den to film the cubs tumbling and play fighting, the lowland heath to spy the elusive Dartford Warbler and the valley mires to record the increasingly rare sight of curlews nesting. Passionate about wildlife of all types, his prose is beautiful and evocative:
"The bluebells are going to seed; their heavy heads sag as they lean drunkenly against each other. The warm air is now filled with the spicy camphor of unfurling bracken. Each stem seems to stretch and yawn as if waking up from hibernation and their tightly twisted fiddleheads are covered in soft silver hairs that shimmer like silk."
As the first lockdown eases and people return to the forest, he is in a unique position to meditate on our relationship to nature and his hope that given a little space, the world might be able to begin to recover and even thrive, not because of our interventions, but in spite of our presence.
"The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chainmail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene. The wood holds its breath, the only sound the begging of the chicks and the gentle breeze sieving through trees. The forest hasn’t been this peaceful for a thousand years."
His previous assignment was in Kenya, filming cheetahs, and he returned to Britain just before the first covid lockdown in March 2020. Lucky enough to be allowed a permit to film in the forest, he spends much of his time in a hide high in a neighbouring tree, camera fixed on the nest. Being such an unusual and terrifying time, and working in a place so close to his heart, makes his story very personal and affecting. This intimate view of a bird rarely seen is utterly captivating.
As well as the goshawk nest, he also visits a fox den to film the cubs tumbling and play fighting, the lowland heath to spy the elusive Dartford Warbler and the valley mires to record the increasingly rare sight of curlews nesting. Passionate about wildlife of all types, his prose is beautiful and evocative:
"The bluebells are going to seed; their heavy heads sag as they lean drunkenly against each other. The warm air is now filled with the spicy camphor of unfurling bracken. Each stem seems to stretch and yawn as if waking up from hibernation and their tightly twisted fiddleheads are covered in soft silver hairs that shimmer like silk."
As the first lockdown eases and people return to the forest, he is in a unique position to meditate on our relationship to nature and his hope that given a little space, the world might be able to begin to recover and even thrive, not because of our interventions, but in spite of our presence.
March 12, 2022
ARC provided by Netgalley
I found this book to be a real joy to read. The diary format means it’s easy to pick up and read throughout the day, and in fact it makes it a very quick and engaging read. The timeline travels from complete lockdown to easing, and frames the experiences in the wood against that. It feels like a clandestine, intimate look into not only the goshawk’s lives, but the wider New Forest fauna – another part the diary format aids in is shifting between the various locations and animals/birds.
The goshawks, foxes and various other birds and animals feel familiar by the closing pages but don’t end up anthropomorphised, just animals going about their lives, something I’ve been looking for in nature writing for quite a while to balance out the various books I’ve read that do go overboard with humanising nature.
Goshawk Summer also delves into rewilding, nature politics, our impact on the world and in a small section, sport hunting. Animal reintroduction is incidentally a focal point – Goshawks were reintroduced (though nobody knows how) and a Pine Marten is caught on camera, along side how humans irresponsible and harmful interactions with the environment can harm those efforts (and even already present animal lives, like the foxes). It’s a really compelling book overall that’s an easy read, fun, engaging and might serve for some as a jumping off point into more nature/rewilding focused books.
I found this book to be a real joy to read. The diary format means it’s easy to pick up and read throughout the day, and in fact it makes it a very quick and engaging read. The timeline travels from complete lockdown to easing, and frames the experiences in the wood against that. It feels like a clandestine, intimate look into not only the goshawk’s lives, but the wider New Forest fauna – another part the diary format aids in is shifting between the various locations and animals/birds.
The goshawks, foxes and various other birds and animals feel familiar by the closing pages but don’t end up anthropomorphised, just animals going about their lives, something I’ve been looking for in nature writing for quite a while to balance out the various books I’ve read that do go overboard with humanising nature.
Goshawk Summer also delves into rewilding, nature politics, our impact on the world and in a small section, sport hunting. Animal reintroduction is incidentally a focal point – Goshawks were reintroduced (though nobody knows how) and a Pine Marten is caught on camera, along side how humans irresponsible and harmful interactions with the environment can harm those efforts (and even already present animal lives, like the foxes). It’s a really compelling book overall that’s an easy read, fun, engaging and might serve for some as a jumping off point into more nature/rewilding focused books.
October 24, 2022
I picked this up since it was chosen as this year's winner of the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, and I was intrigued to see what that entailed. What I found was an deep insight into the life of a wildlife videographer, some wonderfully poetic passages about the authors time in the New Forest during the first lockdown of 2020 and some fascinating descriptions of the landscape and its inhabitants. It's written as a diary and the only reason I have not given it 5 stars is that I feel more sections could have been cut in order to give it a stronger driving force, occassionally I found myself losing interest in the day-to-day goings-on. But that's a minor gripe. It's more of a 4.5 really because James comes across as an incredibly knowledgable and intune observer of nature, and where he lacks knowledge, information is supplied by the experts he works alongside. I feel like I have a much greater appreciation for goshawk now - his descriptions of their nature, their appearance and their behavior is truly the stuff of reverence - as well as raptors in general, foxes and curlew. His writing of the various habitats found in the New Forest is also excellent, particularly his experiences of each sunrise from within the forest. Those sections were breathtaking, along with the way he waxes lyrical about goshawks effortlessly swooping through the three dimensional layout of the forest. Maybe it does deserve 5 stars after all.
July 19, 2021
Goshawk Summer by James Aldred is a stunning and wonderful nature diary and account of one man’s journey documenting and exploring more about the fascinating Goshawk.
This book is for anyone that loves nature, birds, exploring, and preserving what is illustrious and precious within our surroundings.
I have always had a special place in my heart for birds, birdwatching, and learning as much about avian species as possible, and boy is there a lifetime of learning involved.
To be able to get a glimpse into the workings and existence of this fabulous and fascinating predictor was just breathtaking. This is a secretive bird that is harder to visualize and study just by its own behavior, habitat, and nature. I loved being able to take a glimpse into this complex and beautiful bird.
I also loved the author’s ability to include the reader within his entries and descriptions. I really felt as if I was there as well along for the ride.
Try wonderful.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Elliott & Thompson for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
This book is for anyone that loves nature, birds, exploring, and preserving what is illustrious and precious within our surroundings.
I have always had a special place in my heart for birds, birdwatching, and learning as much about avian species as possible, and boy is there a lifetime of learning involved.
To be able to get a glimpse into the workings and existence of this fabulous and fascinating predictor was just breathtaking. This is a secretive bird that is harder to visualize and study just by its own behavior, habitat, and nature. I loved being able to take a glimpse into this complex and beautiful bird.
I also loved the author’s ability to include the reader within his entries and descriptions. I really felt as if I was there as well along for the ride.
Try wonderful.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Elliott & Thompson for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
August 30, 2021
In spring 2020, while we were locked down for the first time in our lives due to Covid 19, James Aldred was roaming the New Forest filming a goshawk family and other wildlife. After finding a nesting goshawk he set up a hide in a neighbouring tree and filmed her and her mate until the eggs hatched and the chicks finally fledged. During this time he also flitted back and forth to different sites to film the other wildlife around him including a fox family, nesting lapwings, curlews, dragonflies and semaphore flies and inadvertently a pine marten.
Not only did he film these encounters, but, lucky for us, he wrote about them too and added further information about wildlife such as the plight of the curlew, goshawk and lapwing. What’s more he considered how we have fared as stewards of the earth in relation to the demise and reintroduction of different species of wildlife. What resulted from this work was a beautiful account of a season in parts of the mysterious world of the New Forest, in which the author's genuine love and respect for nature shone forth - truly magical and a delight to read.
Not only did he film these encounters, but, lucky for us, he wrote about them too and added further information about wildlife such as the plight of the curlew, goshawk and lapwing. What’s more he considered how we have fared as stewards of the earth in relation to the demise and reintroduction of different species of wildlife. What resulted from this work was a beautiful account of a season in parts of the mysterious world of the New Forest, in which the author's genuine love and respect for nature shone forth - truly magical and a delight to read.
August 1, 2022
Excellent - a beautifully written but down to earth account of filming a goshawk nest, plus other wildlife, in England’s New Forest during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Initially the author experiences total calm and eerie peace, as everyone stays at home (he has special permission to carry out his filming). Then lockdown eases, and all hell breaks loose, as beauty spots like the New Forest are inundated with visitors who perhaps don’t usually visit the British countryside. A thoughtful account of a really difficult time, when there were many hopes that nature might recover in the silence, then worry as to how the countryside would cope with unprecedented numbers of visitors, coupled with a realisation that this was an opportunity for many to experience nature in a way they never would have usually. Great descriptions of birds, mammals and insects in their natural environment, thought provoking discussion of our relationship with the natural world, and the goshawks are the stars of the book.
December 16, 2022
I had my eye on this for a while, and bought it when it was awarded the Wainwright Prize earlier in the year. I've just got round to reading it and absolutely loved it! James Aldred is an award winning wildlife documentary cameraman and tree climber, and during the lockdown of 2020 he was given permission to head to the New Forest (where he spent much of his childhood) and film a family of goshawks. Sitting alone in a hide up in the tree canopy watching the nest for hours on end across the season, James shares with us the intimate insight he got into their lives. It isn't all goshawks though - curlews and foxes play starring roles too, and James' knowledge of all sorts of wildlife pours through the page. It's a stunning snapshot of what was a difficult time for so many, with commentary on the affect we have on places like the New Forest, on breeding numbers for birds like curlews, etc. I'll definitely be recommending this to customers as I really enjoyed it - though I expected no less as the Wainwright Prize longlist / shortlist titles are always superb.
July 15, 2024
I usually avoid Wainwright prize winners, since I often find them painfully overwritten and pretentious, but this was an exception to the rule.
Aldred spends the summer of 2020 filming goshawks in the New Forest, an area which is usually crowded with people, but due to lockdown, was all but deserted. Written in diary format, the book combines Aldred's observations of the goshawks and other wildlife with his reflections on the changing environment, how we impact upon it and how we can balance the human need to connect with nature with the need to protect our fragile eco-system.
An enjoyable and thought-provoking book. I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of the goshawks, which were evocative and conveyed their character without anthropomorphising. I also found it interesting to see how the character of the area changed as lockdown restrictions were eased and how Aldred struggled to reconcile his regret for lost solitude with his acknowledgement that others had just as much right to be there as himself.
Aldred spends the summer of 2020 filming goshawks in the New Forest, an area which is usually crowded with people, but due to lockdown, was all but deserted. Written in diary format, the book combines Aldred's observations of the goshawks and other wildlife with his reflections on the changing environment, how we impact upon it and how we can balance the human need to connect with nature with the need to protect our fragile eco-system.
An enjoyable and thought-provoking book. I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of the goshawks, which were evocative and conveyed their character without anthropomorphising. I also found it interesting to see how the character of the area changed as lockdown restrictions were eased and how Aldred struggled to reconcile his regret for lost solitude with his acknowledgement that others had just as much right to be there as himself.
December 19, 2025
Despite being in the title of the book, goshawks probably make up less than half of the contents of this. About 35% is made up of discussion of other woodland creatures. The remainder is some of the most obnoxious, hypocritical narration about human interactions with natural spaces that I think I've ever read.
Aldred clearly benefitted as a child by being able to cycle to and wander around the New Forest, but now seems angry at the idea of anyone encroaching on this space. In the epilogue, he talks about how people aren't connecting with nature, but throughout the book he is constantly complaining about the people and dogs he encounters in the forest. He wants people to care, but doesn't seem to want to acknowledge that the way to get people to care is by allowing them to spend time in nature. Or that this care is what motivates and safeguards the protection of these spaces in the first place. If people don't spend time in nature, they won't care about it. And if people don't care about it, it won't be protected. Get a grip, mate.
Aldred clearly benefitted as a child by being able to cycle to and wander around the New Forest, but now seems angry at the idea of anyone encroaching on this space. In the epilogue, he talks about how people aren't connecting with nature, but throughout the book he is constantly complaining about the people and dogs he encounters in the forest. He wants people to care, but doesn't seem to want to acknowledge that the way to get people to care is by allowing them to spend time in nature. Or that this care is what motivates and safeguards the protection of these spaces in the first place. If people don't spend time in nature, they won't care about it. And if people don't care about it, it won't be protected. Get a grip, mate.
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