I loved this!!! Nature, birdwatching, Norfolk - it's right up my street. I saw Nick chairing a discussion at the Gathering Festival at Wild Ken Hill last year, and when I saw he had his first book coming out I was desperate to read it. The lovely people at Chelsea Green Publishing sent me an advanced copy and I've been savouring it over the past few weeks.

Nick's writing is just about as gorgeous as the cover design (look at it!!!). His passion for the wild geese of Norfolk and the people that share their spaces shines through each page. There is compassion, admiration and unsurprisingly some concern for their future, touching on various threats facing our geese (& are they "our" geese....?!) as he cycles 1200+ miles around Norfolk over several months, tracking down and watching geese. It's a pure love letter to the birds, and to this beautiful region that they call home for part of the year.

Next time I'm birdwatching in Norfolk, I'll be looking a little more closely at the various species of geese, and wondering where they've been, and where they're going. It's impossible to read this book and not want to step further into their world. Even if it can be a slightly raucous one...

Nick Acheson worked in South America and touring the world in conservationist and nature related work. Having decided to give up flying for environmental reasons and returning to the U.K. he found himself becoming fascinated by and studying geese. As the Covid lockdowns started, like so many people, his relationship with nature further changed and as everybody became isolated he explored the countryside looking for and learning about geese.

I enjoyed this book, it was a real mix of memoir, nature study and also literature reviews too. Mainly written as a diary of Acheson’s daily discoveries and sightings during 2020-2021 this format worked really well. I learned a lot of information (Egyptian geese it turns out aren’t really geese and the Slimbridge bird sanctuary in England is responsible for Hawaiian geese not becoming extinct) as well as being horrified at the dangers of lead pellets, shooting practices and difficulties geese face. While mainly fact and information focused there are some beautifully written lines throughout this and it’s a book that’s easy to read through in just a couple of sittings.

Next time I see geese fly over I will definitely be viewing them with more insight and interest.

Thank you very much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Being from Norfolk and being an amateur birdwatcher this book was always going to appeal to me, in addition I've followed Nick on social media for a long time and volunteered at organisations he is linked with.

The idea of following the geese arriving in Norfolk during one winter really appealed as I mark my personal calendar with events like the arrival of bird species. Nick brings to life the lock down winter of 2021 where only local travel was allowed wonderfully and the juxtaposition of the wandering of the geese compared with the narrow human world worked brilliantly.
Nick's writing vividly brings Norfolk winters to life - the ups, downs, cold, wet and yet also the wonder is all there.