At the Water's Edge: A Walk in the Wild

Description

For the last thirty years John Lister-Kaye has taken the same circular walk from his home deep in a Scottish glen up to a small hill loch. Each day brings a new observation or an unexpected encounter - a fragile spider's web, an osprey struggling to lift a trout from the water or a woodcock exquisitely camouflaged on her nest - and every day, on his return home, he records his thoughts in a journal. Drawing on this lifetime of close observation, At The Water's Edge encourages us to look again at the nature around us, to discover its wildness for ourselves and to respect and protect it.

Sir John Lister-Kaye is one of Britain's best-known naturalists and conservationists and the author of eight books on wildlife and the environment. He has served prominently in the RSPB, the Nature Conservancy Council, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. In 2003 he was awarded an OBE for services to nature conservation. He lives with his wife and family among the mountains of the Scottish Highlands, where he runs the world-famous Aigas Field Centre.

* John Lister-Kaye is one of the most joyful, inspirational naturalists I know. This wonderful collection of wildlife encounters will make anyone want to pull on their boots and re-discover the world on our doorsteps. -- Kate Humble * A book of land-knowing by someone who has spent a gentle lifetime learning the languages of animals. With an untameable enthusiasm and generosity of spirit, Lister-Kaye translates those languages into a kind of inter-species friendship -- Jay Griffiths, author of Wild: An Elemental Journey * Dedicated conservationist Lister-Kaye has spent much of his life in solitary contemplation of his environment ... This is a quiet but rousing call to action for anyone who loves the natural world and wants to help preserve it. Sunday Telegraph * I'd put it in the hands of anyone who ever enjoyed a day out in the fresh air, even those who don't think they like the countryside: they've got to be seduced by this prose -- Claire English BBC Radio Scotland * A thoughtful analyst of the evolutionary interplay between human being and animal. The Times * Every word of John Lister-Kaye's At the Water's Edge sounds with a long, close knowledge of place, with a profound appreciation and anticipation of each small change brought by the progression of a day or of a season. Beautifully observed and rich in description, the book sounds too with an urgent voice, warning of what will be lost to us should we continue to take too little action to protect the natural world -- ESTHER WOOLFSON author of CORVUS