Amy-Jane Beer – författare

RSPB Spotlight: Sparrows is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos, and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist.Sparrows are often considered familiar to the point of invisibility, but the recent steep decline in numbers of both native British species is a reminder that these unassuming chatterboxes deserve a little more attention. Of all the true sparrow species found worldwide, only two occur in the British Isles. Globally, the story of the House Sparrow is one of dramatic expansion: from humble origins in the Middle East where they spread, along with agriculture, to become the most widely distributed bird on the planet. The smaller, more active Tree Sparrow has also spread extensively, following the domestication of rice rather than wheat, and both species have been heavily persecuted in recent years.In Spotlight Sparrows, Amy-Jane Beer examines the causes behind the decline of these familiar species, and explores their biology and life cycle, social behaviour, and the significant role that sparrows play in human culture, from Shakespeare and Edith Piaf to Captain Jack Sparrow.The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviour of our favourite animals with eye-catching colour photography and informative expert text.

WINNER OF THE 2023 JAMES CROPPER WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING'Unparalleled.' THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE'A true masterpiece.' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT'A tour de force.' GUY SHRUBSOLE'Quietly courageous.' PATRICK BARKHAM'Lyrical, wholehearted and wise.' LEE SCHOFIELD'A knockout. I loved it.' MELISSA HARRISON'Honest, raw and moving.' SOPHIE PAVELLE'An extraordinary book by an extraordinary author.' CHRIS JONES'A book of wit, wonder and of wisdom.' NICK ACHESON'Beautiful.' NICOLA CHESTERA visit to the rapid where she lost a cherished friend unexpectedly reignites Amy-Jane Beer’s love of rivers setting her on a journey of natural, cultural and emotional discovery.On New Year’s Day 2012, Amy-Jane Beer’s beloved friend Kate set out with a group of others to kayak the River Rawthey in Cumbria. Kate never came home, and her death left her devoted family and friends bereft and unmoored.Returning to visit the Rawthey years later, Amy realises how much she misses the connection to the natural world she always felt when on or close to rivers, and so begins a new phase of exploration.The Flow is a book about water, and, like water, it meanders, cascades and percolates through many lives, landscapes and stories. From West Country torrents to Levels and Fens, rocky Welsh canyons, the salmon highways of Scotland and the chalk rivers of the Yorkshire Wolds, Amy-Jane follows springs, streams and rivers to explore tributary themes of wildness and wonder, loss and healing, mythology and history, cyclicity and transformation.Threading together places and voices from across Britain, The Flow is a profound, immersive exploration of our personal and ecological place in nature.

Discover the life of trees through science, folklore, history and art – every day of the year.Immerse yourself in the world of trees with A Tree A Day – packed with tree facts and richly illustrated throughout with photographs and art. Nature writer Amy-Jane Beer takes us on a tour around the world’s woodlands to tell the stories of a variety of trees, from mysterious ginkos to historical oaks.Anyone who has sat in the dappled shade of a mighty oak or wandered in the blaze of a deciduous woodland in autumn cannot fail to appreciate the wonder of our trees and forests. Each of the 366 entries in this beautiful book – one for every day of the year – reveals some of the fascinating science, natural history or folklore of our great and gracious green neighbours, the history made beneath their branches, or the creativity they inspire.From the awesome Californian redwoods, titans of the tree world, to tiny but exquisite bonsai, and from the fantastically irritable sentinel willow of Harry Potter fame to the Japanese springtime tradition of hanami (blossom viewing) – this captivating collection showcases remarkable individuals and explores some of the ways trees support life on Earth as we know it.Celebrating one of the longest-living lifeforms on earth, A Tree A Day is forest bathing in book form and a wonder for nature lovers and tree enthusiasts alike.

Have you ever lingered on a riverbank watching the water flow, and wondered where it comes from or where it might be going?Embark on a never-ending voyage in which young readers explore some very old questions - questions so old that they have stories for answers. This mesmerizing journey through mountain springs to vast oceans, from rivers in the sky to streams within our own bodies, guides readers through reflections on nature, life and our place within it. Written by bestselling nature writer Amy-Jane Beer, this enchanting book spirals through time and space to remind us that water is more than just a resource - it is part of who we are.Praise for A River Running Through You:"Science and story, history and hope all mingle in the currents of this wise, beautiful book of rivers, ice and rain, which reminds us that our fate flows with that of water - and always has." -Robert Macfarlane"Told with words of wonder and luminous illustrations, A River Running Through You overflows with love for the natural world." -Guy Shrubsole"...a dreamboat book on thelife, soul and slippery ways of our rivers. The water cycle story just got a makeover " -Sam Lee"Magical and heartfelt" -Melissa Harrison