"If you have been still enough for long enough, your eyes will have attuned and begun to read the sea-surge fluently, so you recognize the blunt curve and flourished tail of a diving otter. Home your eyes in on that portion of the sea, permit nothing else to move, and you will see the otter eel-catching, resurfacing."

It is a special privilege and a richly rewarding experience to observe a wild animal hunting, interacting with its young or its mate, exploring its habitat, or escaping a predator.

To watch wildlife, it's essential not only to learn an animal's ways, the times and places you may find it, but also to look inward: to station yourself, focus, and wait. The experience depends on your stillness, silence, and full attention, watching and listening with minimal movement and if possible staying downwind so that your presence is not sensed.

With decades of close observation of wild animals and birds, Jim Crumley has found himself up close and personal with many of our most elusive creatures, studying their movements, noting details, and offering intimate insights into their extraordinary lives. Here, he draws us into his magical world, showing how we can learn to watch wildlife well, and what doing so can mean for our ability to care for it, and care for ourselves.

* Written by Scotland's "pre-eminent nature writer" (Guardian) Jim Crumley, who has more than forty books to his name.

* Centres the mindfulness and care for Earth's species and habitats inherent in observing wildlife with full attention.

* Part of a new series of books that help us find ways of being fully present in our activities and environment.

About the Author
"Scotland's foremost living nature writer" The Courier. Jim Crumley has written forty books, mostly on the wildlife and wild landscape of his native Scotland, the impact of human activity on the natural world, species reintroduction, and climate change. His work has been shortlisted for prestigious awards such as the Wainwright Prize and the Saltire Society Literary Awards. Jim is a widely published journalist and has a monthly column in The Scots Magazine, as well as being a poet and occasional broadcaster on both radio and television.

Reviews

'Incredibly meditative and vivid ... joyful and magical ... a truly enchanting read.'

-- Book of the Month, The Scots Magazine



Book Information
ISBN 9781913393847
Author Jim Crumley
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Saraband
Publisher Saraband