The best of contemporary nature writing from the winners of the inaugural international Nature Chronicles Prize. The Nature Chronicles Prize is a new biennial, international, English-language literary award founded to celebrate engaging, unique, essay-length non-fiction that responds to the time we are in and the world as it is. Conceived in 2020 to mark the global pandemic, the prize is also a memorial to Prudence Scott, a lifelong nature diarist who died in 2019. Contained within this volume are the outstanding shortlisted entries for the inaugural prize. These winning works express diverse responses to our planet and its life, and together embody the best of contemporary nature writing, whether by emerging or established authors. The anthology is introduced by bestselling nature writer Kathryn Aalto, who was one of the prize judges.

An uncannily brilliant evocation of the falconer's art and a moving story of a man's discovery of how to be a father.

'I was moved to tears by Ben Crane's beautiful memoir, Blood Ties. Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in his 40s, he recounts his struggles to reconnect with the son he thought he had lost' Good Housekeeping.

'A powerful story [...] of the ties that bind us, both to nature and our own families' TLS.

This is a book about a man's relationship with hawks, and his self-education as a falconer, and about his discovery that despite his Asperger's Syndrome, which hampers his normal social interactions, he can forge a loving bond with the young son he thought he had lost. He rediscovers his full humanity through his commitment to the training of falcons and his love of the natural world.

Ben Crane writes with uncanny accuracy and lyrical precision about the intricacies of birds' behaviour and their instincts. He has a ruthless eye for the minute details of natural processes – of plumage, the patterns of flight, of killing, death and decay. He's as clear-eyed about himself and his detachment from ordinary human society as he is about the flight of peregrines and goshawks.

Here is nature writing at its very best, interwoven with an affecting human story and an account of how a man mastered the ancient craft of falconry.

Flying imprint sparrowhawks is often unfairly portrayed as being overly complex and highly technical. Sparrowhawks - A Falconer's Guide aims to paint a far more informed picture, and to perhaps dispel some of the myths. Written with the beginner in mind, it is based on considerable first-hand experience of the author and a number of other respected falconers from the United Kingdom, Croatia, Ireland and Turkey who have specialized in flying sparrowhawks. By drawing comparisons with some of the most ancient trapping and training techniques of the East, and by making a connection with modern Western falconry practices, this remarkable book encapsulates the timeless beauty and joy of sparrowhawking, which crosses all cultures. Topics covered include: equipment, preparing to receive your sparrowhawk chick and imprinting; training, behaviour, quarry, entering, field craft and hawking in many different types of terrain; methodologies of captive breeding in the West; problems associated with the rehabilitation and release of wild sparrowhawks in the United Kingdom and finally, the vitally important subject of sparrowhawk health and welfare.

A lighthearted rhyming tale of a young son's messy room and his harried mom's attempt to organize him. Kids and parents alike will be sure to identify with this brilliantly illustrated and humorous story that has taken place in every home at one time or another