Wild Air

James Macdonald Lockhart is the author of two books about birds, Raptor (2016), which received the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award for Non-Fiction, and Wild Air (2023).

‘Enchanting’ Nature'My oh my this is a beautiful book. My favourite kind of nature writing: quiet, subtle, watchful, immanent.' Helen Jukes, author of A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings‘Lockhart is committed to understanding each (bird) in its habitat, and to capturing that sense of place in the song… It is both joyful and mindful, a powerful argument for being still and listening.Lockhart doesn’t make the point explicitly, but I think he would say that these songs, and these creatures, are beautiful in themselves, and that beauty alone justifies protecting them and enjoying them — and writing about them. At the close of the book, he passes a fellow enthusiast in the dark out listening for nightingales. It’s “just extraordinary”, the man says. The book is pretty extraordinary too.’Sunday Times‘As I see it, Lockhart is really attempting to enter into the realm of these creatures, and to convey a feeling of what their lives are like… He writes beautifully, using words to paint exquisite portraits of his subjects… Poetry, folklore and natural history are woven into the mix. But what I particularly liked about this book is that Lockhart treats the birds and their surroundings as inextricably linked. A dipper’s stream is painted as vividly as the animal itself, giving a sense of clear, cold, running water, small pools, mossy banks.’ Financial Times‘(A) fascinating insight into the lives of the twittering, fluttering creatures that share our world.’ The Herald‘Lockhart’s skills as a naturalist are second to none, his observations of skylarks especially fresh and sharp.’ Countryfile‘Enchanting’ Nature