Spring, summer, autumn, winter... for a birdwatcher, each season presents its own images of activity in the bird world. In this outstandingly beautiflu book, illustrated by wildlife artist Peter Barrett, the naturalist Roger Lovegrove records his birdwatching experiences throughout a typical year, He recalls, for example, the frenzied courtship of the great crested grebes, the puffins chatting to each other like high-street shoppers, the acrobatic gannets, the accommodating pair of blue-tits which fostered three flycathers, the lapwing cavorting like an immodest can-can dancer, the sinster water rail, the eerie conversations of owls on a winter's night and the hilarious sight of the male bearded tit, 'master of the fast descent, sliding down the reed stems with legs wide apart'.

The lively narrative is illustrated throughout by Peter Barrett's wonderfully observed field sketches and seasonal paintings, which will strike an immediate chord of recognition in all birdlovers: there are real, living subjects, brilliantly depicted with all the freshness and character of an illustrator who is as much a naturalist as he is an artist.

The writer, Roger Lovegrove, gave up teaching to become the RSPB Officer for Wales, a post which he has held for the last en years. In recent years he has broadcast widely on radio, especially for the programmes Wildlife and The Living World, and has appeared regularly in BBC television series such as In Deepest Britain, In the Country and Bird watch.

The artist, Peter Barrett, combines in his work the accurate observation of a trained naturalist with the insight of a creative artist.

His wildlife illustrations have appeared in a number of publications including World Guide to Mammals, AA Book of the Countryside, La Nature and A Countryman's life( with Alan Jenkins), and a serie of porcelain plates depicting wildlife scenes. He has also illustrated stamps for the British Post Office and the Dominican Republic.