Skylarks with Rosie: A Somerset Spring
by Stephen Moss
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LONGLISTED: 2021 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing “It is a delight to share the company of such an upbeat wildlife guide.” Ben Hoare, BBC Countryfile As spring arrives, Stephen Moss’s Somerset garden is awash with birdsong: chiffchaffs, wrens, robins and more. Overhead, buzzards soar, ravens tumble and the season gathers pace. But this equinox is unlike any other. As the nation goes into lockdown, Stephen records the wildlife around his home, with his fox-red Labrador, Rosie, by his side. When old routines fall away, and blue skies are no longer crisscrossed by contrails, they discover the bumblebees, butterflies and birdsong on their local patch. This evocative account underlines how a global crisis changed the way we relate to the natural world, giving us hope for the future. And it puts down a marker for a new normal: when, during that brief but unforgettable spring, nature gave us comfort, hope and joy. Listen to the audiobook on Spotify
Prizes and awards
LONGLISTED: 2021 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing
REVIEWS OF Skylarks with Rosie: A Somerset Spring
“Touching and reminiscent … delightful … a must-read for all.” BBC Wildlife
“A great read.” John Miles, Birdwatching magazine
“Excellent … Exalting skylark song and orange-tip butterflies at a time of so much human suffering is a delicate balancing act … It is a delight to share the company of such an upbeat wildlife guide.” Ben Hoare, BBC Countryfile
“The uncoiling of a marvellous spring … a well-written and enjoyable book.” Mark Avery
“A beautiful memoir of life and wildlife from one of the UK’s finest nature writers.” Chris Packham