Tweet of the Day: A Year of Britain's Birds from the Acclaimed Radio 4 Series

(Paperback)

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Description

Imagine a jazz musician, improvising on a theme. Then imagine that he is able to play half a dozen instruments - not one after another, but almost simultaneously, switching effortlessly between instruments and musical styles with hardly a pause for breath. If you can countenance that, you are halfway towards appreciating the extraordinary song of the nightingale . . .

Wherever we are, there are birds. And wherever there are birds, there is birdsong. It's always a pleasure (and a relief) to hear sounds which prove the world's still spinning: whether it's the sighing of migrating redwings on a damp October night, the twitter of swallows fresh in from South Africa in April or the call of the cuckoo in May.

Based on the scripts of BBC Radio 4's beloved year-long series, and distilling two lifetimes' knowledge, insight and enthusiasm into these pages, Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss take you month by month through the year, and the changing lives of our favourite birds. From peregrines swapping sea-cliffs for skyscrapers to swifts spending almost their entire lives on the wing; from charms of goldfinches to murmurations of starlings; from ptarmigans thriving in the Highland snow to the bright green parakeets thronging London's parks; this book is packed full of extraordinary insights and memorable facts. Tweet of the Day is a book for everyone who loves Britain's birds.

(Illustrations Carry Akroyd)

Reviews

Tweet of the Day: great idea, great title. Why didn't I think of it - Bill Oddie

This lovely book is a perfect introduction to British birdsong, informative and hugely enjoyable, so stop tweeting and learn how to listen to the experts - Chris Packham

I love these quirky, informative and lyrical descriptions. Reading this book makes me want to head out to see and hear the birds for myself - Miranda Krestovnikoff, Presenter of Coast and President of the RSPB

This handsome book [is] perfect for dipping into . . . The beautiful prose and inspired illustrations by Carry Ackroyd make it a volume to treasure - BBC Countryfile

[Tweet of the Day] works very well and is a pleasure to read. The different, short, accounts of over 200 species are varied in tone and approach but combine to make a lovely book . . . you can dip at any time for a quick moment of bringing birds and their songs into your life. But when you dip you will find yourself reading the next account, and then the next. You may find that opening this book is like opening a packet of chocolate digestive biscuits - you'll be surprised how far through the packet you'll get on one sitting (but it's not fattening - unless you really do eat a biscuit with each species and then it will be!) - Mark Avery

The perfect bird guide for the armchair naturalist - Woman & Home

If you want to improve your ornithological knowledge without the 5:58am wake-up required to catch Tweet of the Day on Radio 4 reach for the show's companion book - Radio Times

Entertaining and often beguiling . . . The lively writing, enlightening anecdotes and frequent bursts of humour make this the ideal source of conversation topics if you run out of things to say while visiting the relatives - BBC Focus Magazine, Books of the Year

Author Bio

Brett Westwood (Author)

Brett Westwood is an award-winning producer, presenter and naturalist. He presented the radio series of Natural Histories. His other acclaimed radio series range from Tweet of the Day (winner of Best Radio Series 2014) to Brett Westwood's Diaries. He is also a consultant for Springwatch and Autumnwatch.

Stephen Moss (Author)

Stephen Moss is a TV producer and best-selling author whose books include Wild Hares and Hummingbirds and The Bumper Book of Nature. The book of Tweet of the Day (which he co-wrote with Brett) won the Thomson Reuters Prize 2014. His TV credits include Birds Britannia, Britain's Big Wildlife Revival and Springwatch.