Overview

On 6 May last year, just before the first light of day, a robin sang the opening notes of the dawn chorus in John Miller's Wiltshire garden at precisely 4.35am. For the rest of that day, until a tawny owl passed over at 9.23pm, each bird is briefly brought to life with John's observations and fascinating backstories: their nests, their eggs, their battles, their triumphs. Sound recordist Alex Byng and photographer David White were with John throughout this red-letter day – which anyone can replicate in their own garden, using the Merlin bird ID app to help identify bird songs and confirm sightings. AUTHOR: John Miller is a passionate countryman, naturalist and lifelong observer of the British countryside. Raised in a small Oxfordshire village, he spent his childhood exploring the fields and woods, developing a deep, enduring connection with nature. He serves on the boards of the Atlantic Salmon Trust and Curlew Action and is an advocate for the introduction of a GCSE in Natural History. Through his books and essays (he is an ambassador of Conservation Communication) John encourages readers to reconnect with the natural world by observing, questioning, and cultivating curiosity. Today he cultivates his wildlife-rich garden in Wiltshire and is a passionate flyfisher.

Full Product Details

Author:   John Miller
Publisher:   Merlin Unwin Books
Imprint:   Merlin Unwin Books
Dimensions:   Width: 12.90cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 19.80cm
Weight:   0.247kg
ISBN:  

9781913159948

ISBN 10:   1913159949
Pages:   192
Publication Date:   06 May 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Part ONE 7 Dawn – The Morning Fanfare 9   Part Two 58 Midday Siesta 59 How to Attract Birds to a Garden 62 More Birds Sing 68 Afternoon Tea 73 More Birds 74 Dusk Settling in for the Evening 85 More Birds 88 Night Hunters 95   Part Three 99 Round-up of the Day What did we find? 100 The No-shows 100 The Surprise Appearances 103 Tally of my Garden Birds 6 May 104   Part Four 106 My Garden Nesting Round-up 2025 107 Tally of my Garden Nests 2025 108 Siting Nest Boxes 112 New Nests vs Old Nests 113 Spotted Flycatchers and their Nests 117   Part Five 127 The Inconvenient Truths 128 Bottom-up Conservation 129 The Dangers of Apex Predator Introduction 129 Red-listed UK Birds 135 Inconvenient Truth No. 1 You Need a Chemical-free Garden 136 How to Mow for Wildlife 138 Organic Vegetable Growing 140 Inconvenient Truth No. 2 The Disturbance our Pets Cause 141 Inconvenient Truth No. 3 Predator Control 143 How it all Began for me Keeping Hens 147   PART SIX 154 Making the Garden Wildlife Friendly 155 Why Rewilding Can’t Solve the Problem 157 Plant with a Purpose 158 Six Early Spring Insect-friendly Plants 159 Grow Your own Birdseed 165 The Power of a Compost Heap 170   Epilogue: Why I Wrote this Book 177 Index 190  

Reviews

Author Information

John Miller is a passionate countryman, naturalist and lifelong observer of the British countryside. Raised in a small Oxfordshire village, he spent his childhood exploring the fields and woods, developing a deep, enduring connection with nature. He serves on the boards of the Atlantic Salmon Trust and Curlew Action and is an advocate for the introduction of a GCSE in Natural History. Through his books and essays (he is an ambassador of Conservation Communication) John encourages readers to reconnect with the natural world by observing, questioning, and cultivating curiosity. Today he cultivates his wildlife-rich garden in Wiltshire and is a passionate flyfisher.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions