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.

Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other - Goodreads

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. 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. There isn’t another soul around and while Covid grips the outside world, the New Forest blossoms in a spring like no other.

The timeline gives the reader a marvellous insight into the habits of this beautiful bird, and the authors' diary is an excellent read. His account of birds breeding in urban parks in Germany is compelling and shows what we are missing in the UK.

Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other

As lockdown eased and travel was allowed, the spell is broken and it seems that suddenly everyone is using natural spaces. 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. Our interactive online courses are a great way to develop your bird identification skills, whether you're new to the hobby or a competent birder looking to hone your abilities. 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. So, consider how lucky James Aldred was to be given permission to spend April to June filming Goshawks in the New Forest (Hampshire, UK).James Aldred is the celebrated author of The Man Who Climbs Trees (Allen Lane) and an Emmy Award-winning documentary wildlife cameraman and filmmaker. 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. During the many highs and lows that flowed through the narrative, you could feel the tension, anxiety and joy of his experiences with this beautiful creature. 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. To be able to get a glimpse into the workings and existence of this fabulous and fascinating predictor was just breathtaking.

JAMES ALDRED — Goshawk Summer

Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells) and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. 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.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. James Aldred’s account of a season spent filming Britain’s most powerful and mesmerising avian predator shines with the shifting complexities of weather, season, mood and place. As a weekly visitor to the New Forest I have seen many Goshawk nests, but I have never gained the insights to their behaviour that James was privileged to see. Supposedly their population is increasing, the one thing that suggests their situation isn’t as dire as the hen harrier’s, but I really wonder about that.