Gods of the Morning

I had previously never heard of this particular naturalist nor had I read anything by him, but having encountered the absolutely wonderful writing in this book I assuredly will be reading other books by Mr. Lister-Kaye. "Gods of the Morning" takes the reader through a year of seasonal changes in the author's home in the Scottish highlands of Aigas, where he lives and also runs an educational nature field center. Not just birds, but many other species are enlightened upon and written about in a wonderfully poetic way, including spiders, pine martens, roe deer, squirrels, hares, aphids, and there is even an absolutely beautiful chapter of the book devoted to the many dogs the author has had throughout his years, all lovingly described and memorialized. As I say, the writing is exquisite, and many times poetic, with certain passages taking my breath away as I would read them. Simply lovely nature writing. Parts of the book too elaborate on the changing natural world and how different birds, mammals, and insects adapt to those changes. The books ends with the author describing a walk in the woods with his five year old grandson. Beautifully written, thought provoking, and at times poetic and rapturous, I would highly recommend "Gods of the Morning" to anyone who is enthusiastic about birds, wildlife, or the natural world. It is a very special book and has moved to very top of my list of nature writing.

I met Sir John in November 2015 at his estate and later bought the book. It is so well written. His sentences are gems. Clearly extremely intelligent. His thoughts about migration extend from birds to humans. Behaviour patterns are truly interesting and fascinating. His description of mice is delightful. His love for the earth and environment is on every page. Truly a good read by a massive intelligence.

John Lister-Kaye gives an accessible and personal account of nature in his beloved Scottish Highlands. The chapters use personal antidotes to teach compelling lessons on how life changes with the seasons and adapts or perishes according to climate change and other intrusions of human beings. He doesn't preach; he just observes.This was an entertaining and informative read.

I don't know how I ended up buying this book because I'm not a naturalist by any means and had never heard of the man. Nevertheless, he writes beautifully and I was captivated by his prose. I took off a half-star because sometimes the prose was too purple and long for me, and I thought the book should have at least had a few photos for being a hardcover and what the subject demanded. I will be checking out more books from this writer.

Lister-Kaye explores the seasonal changes in the Scottish Highlands sharing his knowledge and love of nature. His acute observations open the eyes of the reader to the joys of nature and the monthly changes the seasons bring. A delightful and informative read, not to be missed

I spent time at Aigas in 2007 with the elderhosteI program have read all of his books. A friend of mine has commented that you fall in love with the man when you read his books. This one is no exception. Was reviewed in Science

This book has been a wonder to read. It will definitely be a book I will return to again and again.

I have not read any previous books by John Lister-Kaye but will be looking into the ones he has written because he writes so heart-wrenching and poetically of the world of nature and my favorites, the birds.This book is about a year in the life of Aigas the Highland wildlife center where he lives. We start in winter with the preparation of harsh weather by the wildlife and especially the birds.Each chapter is another treasure in nature reading. Whether on a wildfire, the rooks lives, the buzzards problems, or the sight of a pine marten in a tree, each essay brings us closer to the wonder of stepping outside and letting nature consume us.I loved the summer solstice chapter on spending the night outdoors only to wake up to be within feet of a merlin and staring/glaring each other down. He says when he closes his eyes he can still recapture that moment and thanks to his writing I can also.Mr. Lister-Kaye touches upon the changes in the environment of the last thirty years he has lived at Aigas. He shows us how tiny changes in temperature can effect insects and birds survival and how important a loss of a single insect species can be if others depend on it for survival. He doesn't bother to say whether it's man-made or cyclical, the main thing is to do what we can to help other species survive.I was gifted this book by the publisher for an honest review.If you love animals or the outdoors this book will touch you and stay with you just as Walden by Henry David Thoreau has always been with me.