A SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEARLonglisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year''Rich and joyous ...The book''s quiet optimism about our ability to change, and to learn to love small things passionately, will stay with me for a long time'' Helen Macdonald''Big-hearted and quietly gripping'' Guardian''I love Jon Day''s writing and his birdsA marvellous, soaring account'' Olivia Laing''[A] beautiful book about unbeautiful birds'' Observer''This is nature writing at its best'' Financial Times''Awash with historical and literary detail, and moving moments ...Wonderful''Telegraph''Every page of this beautifully written book brought me pleasure'' Charlotte Higgins''A vivid evocation of a remarkable species and a rich working-class tradition. It''s also a charming defence of a much-maligned bird, which will make any reader look at our cooing, waddling, junk-food-loving feathered friends very differently in future'' Daily Mail''Endlessly interesting and dazzlingly erudite, this wonderful b