Watching wild birds upon the land, inside a cloud or deep within an ocean is to see differently. There is something about the movement of these creatures that connects us to a primordial past of answers. Such is the language of feathers. And it is this way of seeing that proffers stories coming from birds, each one made and told in glorious diversity of thought, each one an instruction, a message or an idea, like the new songs trees make every time the wind moves between leaves. In our frenetic world of walls – the high borders of sovereignty and greed; the low boundaries of misunderstanding and misguided aspirations – are to be found the freedoms that come on wings beyond walls. This very personal collection of tales is important: an offering of moments in Nature that we hope will inspire contemplation. Perhaps it is time to slow down for a minute, searching for a pause in the day, time to listen ... time to look.'– Vernon RL HeadThis remarkable collection of birding stories, written by some of our most intrepid bird observers, will convert a new generation of South African ornithologists and watchers of wilderness.Birds and their names sing from the pages; owls, Shoebills, sandgrouse, Hooded Pittas, Rhinoceros Hornbills, Brown Kiwis, Rock Doves, Cape Eagle Owls, Greater Flameback woodpeckers, Inaccessible Island Rail, Superb and Beautiful Sunbird, Violet Turaco and the African Crowned Eagle.Contributors include: David Allan, Mark D. Anderson, Mark Brown, Callan Cohen, Susie Cunningham, W. Richard J. Dean, Morné du Plessis, Vernon RL Head, Alan Kemp, David Letsoalo, Rob Little, John Maytham, Adam Riley, Peter Ryan, Claire Spottiswoode, Peter Steyn, Peter Sullivan, Warwick Tarboton, Mel Tripp and Ross Wanless.All author royalties will be donated to the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology to support ongoing ornithological research.