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Book Review: Nightingales in November
This book is beautifully summed up by the subtitle, ‘A Year in the Lives of Twelve British Birds’. In twelve chapters beginning with January and finishing with December, Nightingales in November by Mike Dilger follows the dramatic stories of a cohort of well-loved resident and visiting British birds, the Bewick’s Swan, Peregrine, Lapwing, Puffin, Cuckoo, Tawny Owl, Kingfisher, Swallow, Robin, Nightingale, Waxwing and Blue tit.
I’m sure many of us have looked up at the Swallows lining up on the telephone wires preparing themselves for their long, arduous journey back to Africa at the end of summer and wondered where exactly those tiny birds will be in a month’s time and what they’ll be doing; this book tells us just that.
From a wealth of information gleaned from decades of ringing and newer technology such as satellite tagging (including the tagging of the sadly demised Springwatch star, Chris the Cuckoo), Nightingales in November reveals the intricacies of the lives of these species, from the ritualised head-dipping, wing-extending pre-mating performance of the Bewick’s Swan to the way in which the male Waxwing chooses the nest location as opposed to the female. Nightingales in November accumulates the most up to date science concerning each of these birds including their breeding, moulting and pre-migratory sites, migration routes, nesting habits and more and brings them together into one readable, easily-accessible book.
Nightingales in November is set out in an easy to follow format with each month divided into three parts and within each month, a small section examining the whereabouts and activity of each bird at that time of year. Dilger’s personality shines through in his style of writing so much so that at times you feel as if he’s talking aloud to you. Not only is Nightingales in November engaging due to the beautiful lyrical style of writing, but is also a comprehensive guide for any birding beginner and even for the more experienced birder. This book makes it easy to observe and understand the behaviour of each of these iconic birds as the seasons progress and I’ll certainly be dipping into it again throughout the year to find out what some of my favourite birds are up to.
Robin (c) Caroline Collingwood
However, I’m not sure that dividing each month into three parts (early, mid and late) was a wise decision, for some birds there wasn’t always enough to fill out three distinct sections for each month which sometimes made the writing feel a bit strained and almost repetitive as Dilger tried to keep to his one month, three-part format.
None the less, Nightingales in November is an engaging, fact-filled book and an enthusing read that I would recommend to any lover of British birds.
Caroline is a young naturalist from Kent with a passion for all aspects of the natural world. She is currently in her first year as an Ecology Undergraduate at the University of Aberystwyth and hopes to one day have a career as an ecologist or conservationist. She has done lots of volunteering over the years for various organisations including the RSPB but is currently enjoying writing about her experiences with nature on her blog with can be found at https://littlesandpiper.wordpress.com/ or alternatively on twitter @littlesandpiper.
[Editor’s note: I thought this would be a lovely opportunity to also showcase a few wonderful photos taken by some of our members. Sorry to those who sent in photos I didn’t include, editorial decisions are difficult! ~Megan]
Puffin (c) Samanta Norbury-Webster: Samanta’s Wildlife
Puffins (c) Genevieve Dalley
Lapwing (c) Hayley Muir
Peregrine (c) Sean Foote
Kingfisher (c) Alex White
Robin (c) Hayley Muir