The Cuckoo’s Lea is an enthralling exploration of birds and place through English history. From curlew-haunted marshes to goshawk forests, Michael J. Warren seeks out the ghostly traces of birds in the names of towns and villages, and uncovers a fascinating heritage that matters deeply now so many places and species are threatened or already gone.
Michael J. Warren is an author, medievalist and naturalist. He teaches English in Chelmsford, was honorary research fellow at Birkbeck College and chair of the steering group for New Networks for Nature, and is currently a trustee for Curlew Action. Michael curates The Birds and Place Project, a website devoted to collecting and recording the birds of English place names.