In The Cuckoo’s Lea, poet and naturalist Michael J. Warren embarks on a hauntingly beautiful exploration of England’s landscapes through the ancient traces of birds hidden in place names and local histories. From remote marshes where curlews still call, to woodlands once alive with cuckoo song now lost to concrete and silence, this book uncovers how birds have shaped our language, culture, and emotional connection to place for over a thousand years.

Travelling the length and breadth of the country, Warren uncovers forgotten bird names embedded in towns, villages, lanes and hills, unearthing a rich tapestry of meaning and memory that connects us to the past. His writing weaves together early medieval literature, historical folklore, and modern-day birdwatching, creating an evocative portrait of a landscape where goshawks return to ancient forests, rooks gather in shadowy winter roosts, and vanished owl-settlements linger in name alone.

Both a personal pilgrimage and a cultural excavation, The Cuckoo’s Lea invites readers to rediscover the ghosts of birds in the land beneath our feet, and to reflect on what we stand to lose in a time of rapid ecological change.

A must-read for lovers of British nature writing, ornithology books, environmental history, and anyone drawn to the forgotten stories of wild England.