Tweet of the Day, Brett Westwood
Tweet of the Day, Brett Westwood
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

Tweet of the Day
A Year of Britain's Birds from the Acclaimed Radio 4 Series

Author: Brett Westwood, Stephen Moss

Narrator: Brett Westwood, Stephen Moss

Unabridged: 12 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: John Murray

Published: 05/01/2014


Synopsis

Imagine a jazz musician, improvising on a theme. Then imagine that he is able to play half a dozen instruments - not one after another, but almost simultaneously, switching effortlessly between instruments and musical styles with hardly a pause for breath. If you can countenance that, you are halfway towards appreciating the extraordinary song of the nightingale . . .

Wherever we are, there are birds. And wherever there are birds, there is birdsong. It's always a pleasure (and a relief) to hear sounds which prove the world's still spinning: whether it's the sighing of migrating redwings on a damp October night, the twitter of swallows fresh in from South Africa in April or the call of the cuckoo in May.

Based on the scripts of BBC Radio 4's beloved year-long series, and distilling two lifetimes' knowledge, insight and enthusiasm into this recording, Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss take you month by month through the year, and the changing lives of our favourite birds. From peregrines swapping sea-cliffs for skyscrapers to swifts spending almost their entire lives on the wing; from charms of goldfinches to murmurations of starlings; from ptarmigans thriving in the Highland snow to the bright green parakeets thronging London's parks; this audiobook is packed full of extraordinary insights and memorable facts.

Tweet of the Day is a book for everyone who loves Britain's birds, and this audiobook contains over 150 birdsong recordings to bring them to life.

(P)2014 John Murray Press

About Brett Westwood

Brett Westwood is an award-winning producer, presenter and naturalist. He presented the radio series of Natural Histories. His other acclaimed radio series range from Tweet of the Day (winner of Best Radio Series 2014) to Brett Westwood's Diaries. He is also a consultant for Springwatch and Autumnwatch.

About Stephen Moss

Stephen Moss is a TV producer and best-selling author whose books include Wild Hares and Hummingbirds and The Bumper Book of Nature. The book of Tweet of the Day (which he co-wrote with Brett) won the Thomson Reuters Prize 2014. His TV credits include Birds Britannia, Britain's Big Wildlife Revival and Springwatch.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Abigail

A lovely follow up (to me) of the authors' book WONDERLAND, focused on what I cared most about in that book: the birds! I loved these short, evocative introductions to Britain's birds, full of vivid descriptions, interesting anecdotes, and pretty darn amazing facts.......more

Goodreads review by Gordon

OK... but not quite as advertised from "The Acclaimed Radio 4 Series". The radio series – still available on the BBC Sounds podcast service – invited various wildlife observers to contribute brief snippets first thing in the morning. The voices of David Attenburgh, Michael Palin, Chris Packham and o......more

Goodreads review by Jo

Genuinely lovely. Good to dip in and out of as the descriptions of each bird are fairly short. The descriptions and accompanying illustrations really bring each of the birds to life, and now I must go and listen to the radio series it is based on! Obviously it’s more difficult to write descriptions......more

Goodreads review by Ga

This is a very good book. It only has around 200 birds, and only a quick description of each. The best part is being able to learn all the calls. I wish there was another book so to incorporate the remaining British birds.......more

Goodreads review by Mark

For early risers, the few moments at around 6am on BBC Radio 4 for several months has been a date with nature. More specifically, a 90 second date with the song or call of a species of British bird. The birds were the stars, they always are, but a range of well-known birders and naturalists, broadca......more


Quotes

This lovely book is a perfect introduction to British birdsong, informative and hugely enjoyable, so stop tweeting and learn how to listen to the experts

I love these quirky, informative and lyrical descriptions. Reading this book makes me want to head out to see and hear the birds for myself

This handsome book [is] perfect for dipping into . . . The beautiful prose and inspired illustrations by Carry Ackroyd make it a volume to treasure BBC Countryfile

Tweet of the Day: great idea, great title. Why didn't I think of it?

[Tweet of the Day] . . . is a pleasure to read. The different, short, accounts of over 200 species are varied in tone and approach but combine to make a lovely book . . . you can dip at any time for a quick moment of bringing birds and their songs into your life. But when you dip you will find yourself reading the next account, and then the next. You may find that opening this book is like opening a packet of chocolate digestive biscuits - you'll be surprised how far through the packet you'll get on one sitting (but it's not fattening - unless you really do eat a biscuit with each species and then it will be!)

The perfect bird guide for the armchair naturalist Woman & Home

If you want to improve your ornithological knowledge without the 5:58am wake-up required to catch Tweet of the Day on Radio 4 reach for the show's companion book Radio Times

Entertaining and often beguiling . . . The lively writing, enlightening anecdotes and frequent bursts of humour make this the ideal source of conversation topics if you run out of things to say while visiting the relatives BBC Focus Magazine, Books of the Year

[Tweet of the Day] works very well and is a pleasure to read. The different, short, accounts of over 200 species are varied in tone and approach but combine to make a lovely book . . . you can dip at any time for a quick moment of bringing birds and their songs into your life. But when you dip you will find yourself reading the next account, and then the next. You may find that opening this book is like opening a packet of chocolate digestive biscuits - you'll be surprised how far through the packet you'll get on one sitting (but it's not fattening - unless you really do eat a biscuit with each species and then it will be!) Mark Avery

Tweet of the Day, a 90-second morning gift of birdsong and eclectic facts has been one of Radio 4's big successes. Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss read from their delightfully varied and quirky scripts, full of cultural and ornithological facts. From May they tell you what to expect each month, ending with an epilogue on the great auk. A wonderful companion on a long drive or walk, this is an eye and ear-opening book. Good while gardening too The Times


Awards

  • Thomson Reuters Award for Communicating Zoology