This was a present that I feel hopelessly unqualified to review.

Dee has spent half a century watching and listening to birds in Britain and around the world. He clearly has a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to share, but my experience of the subject is so limited that much of it went over my head (almost literally), and I was left sympathising with his son's "comically wilful ornithological ignorance".

I was able to appreciate the quality of the writing, the range and arrangement of the subject matter and the many poets quoted, but I must admit that for me it was a bit of a struggle to read.

No criticism of the book, the writer or the subject intended! ( )

I'm not quite sure what to make of this book and suspect it requires a second read and further digestion.

The opening chapters were great - really drew me into Tim Dee's story, but after that it got a little woolly and less interesting. ( )