For the Birds: Nature Notes from a Woodland Studio

Linda Johns is for the birds in the best possible way. She began by taking in the occasional wounded or orphaned birds that came her way, and soon neighbours found that she was a welcome source of advice and sanctuary for the strays they found, but couldn't shelter. Today she shares her home with an ever-shifting population of birds some of whom have moved in to stay. In For the Birds, she writes lyrically about the natural world around her studio, and with verve and humour about the feathered characters who visit or share her home. Each of them has a distinct personality and Linda Johns' gift for storytelling in the James Herriot tradition brings them so vividly alive that they practically fly off the page. Here, among many others, are: Bubble and Squeak, the roosters, who like nothing better than cuddling up on a friendly lap for an evening snooze; Basho, the Japanese quail, whose birthday is celebrated with the reading of festive haiku verses; Chip, the grackle, who sometimes breaks into nest-building frenzies that incorporate the strangest items; and Desmond, the gentle pigeon, who has faithfully courted his "mate," Molly, through years of persistent rebuffs. Full of wonderfully funny and affectionate stories and enhanced by Linda Johns' black-and-white brush drawings of many of the birds this is a book suffused with knowledge and love of nature in all four seasons.