What with my knee surgery at the beginning of June, and the complications arising therefrom, I’ve been quite remiss in my both my own writing as well as keeping up with the writing of others. Now that I’m finally beginning to see a bit of healing and a turn toward a desired direction in my recovery, I’ve begun trying to catch up on what I have missed – most pertinent to this column, the Sunday Book Reviews of Dr. Mark Avery.
The British Wildlife Collection was inaugurated in 2012 with the publication of Peter Marren’s “Mushrooms” and has now reached its tenth volume with the upcoming publication in April 2021 of Martin Warren’s “Butterflies.” Not surprisingly, Mark, being Mark, has got hold of an advance copy for review.
Those of you who know Mark Avery no doubt already know of his work in conservation – both of species as well as habitats. His “A Message from Martha; the Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon and Its Relevance Today” remains one of the best books available on the subject, and his “Inglorious; Conflict in the Uplands” is a superbly aimed broadside against the sheer waste and abuse of the uplands for the benefit of a very small number of grouse shooting enthusiasts.
I’ve never seen a Manx Shearwater, however following a number of long and highly informative conversations at BirdFair with the nice folks at The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales, I’d very much like one day to make the effort to reach Skomer and avail myself of the opportunity to do so.
Mark Avery, I suspect, has seen a Manx Shearwater – likely more than one, in fact – and describes them as “wonderful birds.” However…