Personal account of the author's experiences in the field of conservation. The first part of the book describes Moore's transformation of a bare field into a a private nature reserve and the successes and failures he had in attracting wildlife which has subsequently colonised it. The second part of the book relates his own local experiences to the wider conservation scene.
Norman Moore is one of our best-known and most highly respected naturalists. He has a wide knowledge of and interest in many aspects of British wildlife and has pursued a distinguished career in nature conservation, culminating with the post of Chief Advisory Officer, Nature Conservancy Council from 1979 - 1983. He was also a founding member of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) and a judge of the Silver Lapwing Award for conservation in farming. In addition to numerous scientific papers and articles, his published works include two in the New Naturalist series, Dragonflies with P.S. Corbet and Cynthia Longfield, and Hedges with E. Pollard and M.D. Hooper; and The Bird of Time, which won the Natural World Book of the Year award. He has recently been honoured by the Zoological Society of London with the Stamford Raffles Award for his distinguished contribution to the ecology and behaviour of Dragonflies and also by the Royal Entomological Society both with an Honorary Fellowship and with the Marsh Entomological Award for Insect Conservation, of which he is the first recipient.