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The Swallow

The Swallow

A Biography (Shortlisted for the Richard Jefferies Society and White Horse Bookshop Literary Award)

Summary

From the bestselling author of The Robin, The Wren and The Twelve Birds of Christmas.

With around 700,000 breeding pairs, the swallow is one of the most familiar birds in Britain. Though we consider the swallow to be 'our' bird, we also share this beloved creature with millions of others across the globe. Whilst we see it on a daily basis for half the year, the swallow then flies south to Africa, living on only in our memory in the long, dark winter.

In The Swallow Stephen Moss documents a year of observing the swallow close to home and in the field to shed light on the secret life of this extraordinary bird. We trace the swallow's life cycle and journey, including the epic 12,000-mile round trip it takes every year, to enable it to enjoy a life of almost eternal sunshine, and the key part the swallow plays in our traditional and popular culture.

With beautiful illustrations throughout, this captivating year-in-the-life biography reveals the hidden secrets of this charismatic and beautiful bird.


PRAISE FOR STEPHEN MOSS:

'A superb naturalist and writer' Chris Packham

'Inspired, friendly and blessed with apparently limitless knowledge' Peter Marren

'Moss has carved out an enviable niche as a chronicler of the natural world' Daily Mail

Reviews

  • A delight
    Choice

About the author

Stephen Moss

STEPHEN MOSS is a naturalist, author and broadcaster. In a distinguished career at the BBC Natural History Unit his credits included Springwatch, Birds Britannia and The Nature of Britain. He is the president of the Somerset Wildlife Trust and a senior lecturer in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Originally from London, he now lives with his wife and children on the Somerset Levels. His books include The Robin, The Wren, The Twelve Birds of Christmas, The Swallow, The Swan and The Owl.
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