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Wings Over the Valley — a Birdwatcher‘s Wales Diary

by John Green
Paperback; 191pp; ISBN 0-9513909-5-3

"The buzzards and kites belong to these valleys as gulls do to the coast. They define the contours and give significance to the freedom of space. Their flight sketches in the missing dimensions and lends the hills their special aura, they are the true spirits of the valleys."


This book is written in the form of a diary, following in the tradition of British naturalists, so memorably led by Rev. Gilbert White. As it follows the birds of the valleys and coast, particularly the red kite and other birds of prey, the reader is taken, season by season, through the yearly cycle.

It evokes the beauty of the countryside on and around a typical mid-Wales valley. Several years of observations are condensed into one full year. They highlight the most interesting and dramatic moments which convey the essential characteristics of the area’s natural fauna and flora. It is an attempt to paint in words the visual lyricism of Wales and its rich bird life, but is conceived also as a commemoration of a threatened and disappearing world.

 

 

1 copy, including P&P

 

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