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John Miller's new book, One Day a Thousand Songs, is available now via our website, and in bookshops from 6th May.

John spent a spring day from dawn until dusk listening to and recording birdsong. The result was an impressive tally of almost 40 species, starting at 4:35am with a robin's call and ending at dusk with an owl. He uses this birdsong chorus as a way to discuss broader themes of conservation, bird behaviour, territory and breeding.

John also shares tips on caring for the garden ecosystem - starting with plants and insects - as well as practical advice on how to grow your own birdseed or create a compost heap.

The book is a celebration of the birdsong that surrounds us, and encouragement for you to listen for birdsong in your own gardens - countryside or urban, large or small.

Merlin Unwin’s thriller list offers something genuinely different in the crowded crime market: “fieldsports thrillers” set in evocative British landscapes – from Scottish deer forests, fishing villages, and rural estates -blending classic whodunnit tension with modern social intrigue.

One Day a Thousand Songs

On 6 May last year, just before the first light of day,  a robin sang the opening notes of the dawn chorus in John Miller’s Wiltshire garden at precisely 4.35am.

For the rest of that day, until a tawny owl passed over at 9.23pm, each bird is briefly brought to life with John’s observations and fascinating backstories: their nests, their eggs, their battles, their triumphs.

Sound recordist Alex Byng and photographer David White were with John throughout this red-letter day – which anyone can replicate in their own garden, using the Merlin bird ID app to help identify bird songs and confirm sightings. 

On 6 May, from dawn to nightfall, John Miller recorded every bird he sees in his garden: their songs, behaviour, nests, battles, triumphs, survival techniques, backstory. The results are remarkable, inspiring and informative. If we garden for insects, we will have abundant wildlife, he writes.

We stayed 11 nights at Hotel Pantanal Norte in Porto Jofre. Undoubtedly the Jaguar hotspot of the Pantanal, wildlife viewing here is done from speedboats on the huge Cuiaba River and a number of its tributaries. Heading out twice daily, first thing in the morning and again mid-afternoon, we had a total of 21 boat trips, and saw 20 different Jaguars, during a total of 40 Jaguar encounters!

The area has lots of other wildlife to see; it is particularly good for Giant River Otters, Yacare Caiman, Capybara, and there is loads of bird life. Unfortunately the success of the area has led to it becoming over busy with boats, which are in danger of disrupting the wildlife and spoiling the experience for visitors.

Find out more in Wild World by Richard Barrett (large format hardback book £30): https://merlinunwin.co.uk/products/wild-world-2