‘One Day a Thousand Songs’ is the story of – or soundtrack to? – a book by local author, John Miller, and it’s of a day in his West Kennet Valley garden. He took a single day in May last year and watched, listened and recorded every sound, by which member of the copius bird population and when.
We all see the birdlife, we hear what they ‘say’ but it’s background to our everyday lives. So much so that it’s easily ignored, not noticed and taken for granted. But if the birds went on strike, we’d notice….. John’s book reflects on what is there, what we hear but invariably don’t listen to. But his descriptions and noting of what happened when, the cycles, rhythms and habits of the birds through their songs opens our senses to the life in the garden in a way that both enchants and captivates.
John notes that the day starts with the robin, at 04:35. It closes with a tawny owl some seventeen hours later. In those hours between he describes the ‘unfolding chorus of birds through the day’. Each species heard or seen is recorded, alongside reflections on its behaviour, song, backstory, and nesting habits. At its heart, the book hopes to inspire readers to step outside and listen more closely to the natural world around them. It’s all there, we just have to notice the life beyond our windows and doors and be enriched by what we hear. And see.
John’s garden is a haven for wildlife and the bird population. It is a mosaic of mature trees, dense hedgerows, and wildflower patches, all managed without chemicals, creating a mecca for insects, birds, and all other wild inhabitants of the mature garden environment.
Divided into six parts, the book follows the arc of the day while exploring how a rural garden can become a thriving refuge for nature. It confronts three inconvenient truths about increasing bio-abundance—eliminating chemicals to support insect life, minimising disturbance to provide shelter, and addressing predator pressures to ensure safety—before offering a series of thoughtful, and at times unconventional, approaches to creating a truly wildlife-friendly garden.
So ‘One Day a Thousand Songs‘ is far more than a chronology of the recordings of the birdlife in his garden. But birds are central to all of our spaces, even if it’s the pigeons who dominate central London. Our spaces are also theirs.
One Day a Thousand Songs by John Miller
Published by Merlin Unwin Books
On sale at The White Horse Bookshop or click here to find on Amazon
ISBN: 978-1-913159-94-8
Wiltshire Local Plan withdrawn by the cabinet – start again…..
