RSPB Bird Tales Traditional Stories, Folklore and Activities for the Whole Family

About this book

A beautiful celebration of Britain's best-loved birds, featuring illustrations, folktales, stories and seasonal crafts and activities that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

A rich treasury of fact, folklore, traditional tales and seasonal crafts and activities, RSPB Bird Tales celebrates 25 of our most common and best-loved British birds, offering a wealth of ways to deepen our relationships with our feathered friends. Organised by month and presenting critical moments in the year of birds – including courtship, nest-building and migration – in-depth portraits of each bird give vivid insights into their fascinating hidden lives. Each beautifully illustrated bird account includes a roll-call of folk names, key identification features, a traditional folktale, fascinating folklore covering traditions, superstitions and beliefs, tips to help birdlife thrive and awe-inspiring facts that reveal the true wonder of birds' lives.

From learning how to notice the earliest signs of spring and recognise distinctive bird songs and calls, to making a mini pond and bird box to benefit garden birds, this enriching and practical book encourages readers to reconnect with nature through bird-related activities for the whole family.

Contents

Introduction

January:
      Wren
      The Corvid Family
February:
      Bird Calls and Song
      The Tit Family
      House Sparrow
March:
      Nest Building
      The Thrush Family
      Blackbird
      Song Thrush
May:
      The Dove Family
June:
      Migration
      Summer Visitors
      Nestlings and Fledglings
July:
      Mallard Duck
      Mute Swan
August:
      New Feathers (Moulting)
      The Woodpecker Family
      Birds of Prey
September:
      The Finch Family
October:
      The Owl Family
November:
      Greylag Goose
      Starling
December:
      Robin

References
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Dawn Casey is inspired by her travels, the tales of old and her deep love of nature, and has a particular specialism in the retelling of folktales. Dawn's work with traditional folk stories has been awarded with the Aesop Accolade from the American Folktale Society and the Gold Nautilus Award for books that support conscious living, green values, spiritual growth and positive social change. Many of Dawn's books integrate traditional stories with hands-on activities to celebrate the natural world, and in RSPB Bird Tales Dawn weaves together her wealth of experience of working with traditional tales and her heartfelt love of birds. Dawn previously worked in publishing and as a teacher; she now lives in East Sussex with her two children.