This was beautifully written, and so much more than nature and birdwatching (even though that would have been plenty!) It was a poetic reflection on the passage of time and the cycle of the year (and life). I found I kept highlighting passages - it was so, so beautifully written and so insightful.

Tim Dee is a fabulous nature writer. In this wonderful book he tracks the progress of spring across continents and time, on the face of it through the migration of birds. . While the cover classifies this book as nature writing it is far more than that, in part memoir, in part meditation on the natural and human world it’s topics are far ranging. The ending of the book is at the same time hopeful and quietly devastating. This is probably his best book and hopefully not his last.