Birdsong in a Time of Silence

A lyrical celebration of birdsong, and the rekindling of a deep passion for nature. 
 
'At this time of year, blackbirds never simply fly: instead, like reluctantly retired officers, they're always "on manoeuvres", and it's easy to see from their constant agitation that for them every flower bed is a bunker, every shed a redoubt and every hedge-bottom a potential place of ambush' 
 
As the world went silent in lockdown, something else happened; for the first time, many of us started becoming more aware of the spring sounds of the birds around us. Birdsong in a Time of Silence is a lyrical, uplifting reflection on these sounds and what they mean to us. 
 
From a portrait of the blackbird - most prominent and articulate of the early spring singers - to explorations of how birds sing, the science behind their choice of song and nest-sites, and the varied meanings that people have brought to and taken from birdsong, this book ultimately shows that natural history and human history cannot be separated. It is the story of a collective reawakening brought on by the strangest of springs.

A delightful meditation on the wonder of birdsong, and how it helped us at a moment of crisis

This is a joyous and profound meditation on birdsong and what it means to us, a book that brings to life an essential part of the natural world that most of us take so much for granted that we scarcely notice it

Lovatt's approach is fresh, joyful and uncomplicated. Birdsong in a Time of Silence recalls a spring we will never forget but also reminds us that the pandemic grew out of our disregard for nature, and could presage ecological disaster

This is a lyrical, exhilarating work of utter loveliness

Beautifully observed... exhilaratingly original... [Written with] exquisite prose that soars as high as his beloved birds

Steven Lovatt is a birder, writer, critic and teacher, based in South Wales. This is his first book.

'At this time of year, blackbirds never simply fly: instead, like reluctantly retired officers, they're always "on manoeuvres", and it's easy to see from their constant agitation that for them every flower bed is a bunker, every shed a redoubt and every hedge-bottom a potential place of ambush' 
 
As the world went silent in lockdown, something else happened; for the first time, many of us started becoming more aware of the spring sounds of the birds around us. Birdsong in a Time of Silence is a lyrical, uplifting reflection on these sounds and what they mean to us. 
 
From a portrait of the blackbird - most prominent and articulate of the early spring singers - to explorations of how birds sing, the science behind their choice of song and nest-sites, and the varied meanings that people have brought to and taken from birdsong, this book ultimately shows that natural history and human history cannot be separated. It is the story of a collective reawakening brought on by the strangest of springs.

Steven Lovatt

Steven Lovatt addresses a dangerous and urgent topic: how do we rediscover the sense of where and who we belong with, and not slip into nostalgia, fantasy and tribalism? In this splendid essay, Lovatt shows us how and why we need points of orientation, in mind as much as body - how, when some things are 'fixed', we know how to 'place' the other things. We're shown here how we might re-enchant our world by opening up to the whole of our ecology, in human memory, relationship and story, as well as in place and object, learning more fully what it is to know ourselves as more than brains on sticks, and how we might at last let ourselves be fed and transformed

In the best way, Lovatt makes language strange again

A wise and powerful book, one that helped to answer questions I didn't know I had, as well as questions I had but could barely articulate for myself. It describes a deeply personal journey, yet discovers meanings that are enduringly universal, and also effects the most extraordinary transformations, turning lostness into arrival, bewilderment into aliveness, and placelessness into enchantment. How might we grow roots in a broken world? To that most important of questions, this book provides a moving, memorable and beautiful answer. Read it and pass it on

Growing Roots in a Broken World

When Steven Lovatt’s grandmother died, he lost not only a beloved family member but also his last link to the way of life she had represented: rooted in place, socially democratic, ecologically rich. Cut loose from the past and confronted with a present missing even the birds of his childhood, Steven’s mind cracked. 
 
Drawing on field work, local library archives and oral history, as well as dreams, diaries and visions, Enchanted Ground charts a fractured course from breakdown to belonging. For if he is to survive, Steven realises he must set out, like a pilgrim, across the motorways and monoculture wastes of Britain in search of enchanted ground – and those who have begun to rebuild it.

Steven Lovatt

Books by Steven Lovatt

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