Monday, 20 July 2026

What I Read in June

 



In September 2019, Mr H and I started our own book blog; those posts are now merged with this blog, and in December 2019, I posted my very first quarterly reading round-up. I have continued to post quarterly summaries until this year, when I decided to switch to monthly posts.

Here is what I read in June 2026.



Where The World Turns Wild by Nicola Penfold 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Jumping into my top reads of the year list, I am embarrassed and appalled at myself that it has taken me until now to read this. It has sat on my shelf since it came out which annoys me to even think of all the amazing books that I haven't read yet. The premise was original, the characters well developed and writing was so engaging I hated putting the book down at night, only doing so when my eyes would no longer stay open. Not only was it all those things, but it was actually very thought provoking for me being the extremely climate/environmentally anxious person I am. 

Restoring the Wild: Sixty Years of Rewilding Our Skies, Woods and Waterways by Roy Dennis 🌟🌟🌟🌟[Audio]
I really enjoyed listening to this chronicle of the authors life in regards to rewilding projects over the past 60 years. It's inspiring to hear from the wildlife champions dedicating their lives to putting such incredible efforts into the survival of particular species. The flow of the writing was well arranged between species of animal and time frames which made it easy to follow and kept it interesting without anything becoming confusing. 

The Last Year of the Wild - Volume 2: Spring Equinox by Lizzie Pepper 🌟🌟🌟
Another book I'm just getting around to reading a whole year after I read it's precursor! I want to love these more, I really do, but there is just something missing. I do really like the overall storyline and this book picked up the pace a little from the first...I will continue to see where the series goes.

Wildlands by Brogen Murphy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Another five star and it's no wonder it has so many award nominations and wins! Like my first read of the month, this followed a pair of siblings and a dangerous and thrilling adventure in the wild. Despite its parallels to Where The World Turns Wild it took a completely different journey and had such a different feel, and I highly recommend both books!




Last year, I also had a stack of books that were laid out as daily, weekly or even monthly 'chapters'. This year, the stack is taller. I started six of those books in January, another three were added in February and I will rate and review them at the end of the year.

Year-Long Reads
Nature Writing for Every Day of the Year by Jane McMorland Hunter
Black History for Every Day of the Year by David Olusoga, Yinka Olusoga
Words for Life: To Boost Every Day of the Year by Susie Dent
Telling the Seasons: Stories, Celebrations and Folklore around the Year by Martin Maudsley
Urban Nature Every Day: Discover the Natural World on Your Doorstep Jane McMorland Hunter, Sally Hughes
Hettie Nettle's Handbook for Hedgewitches by Claire Barker
The Hidden Seasons: A Calendar of Nature's Clues and Signs by Tristan Gooley
The Wildlife Gardener's Almanac by Jackie Bennett

June Stats
June Pages - 864
Year-Long Reads Pages - 188 
Total Pages - 1,052
Audio Listening Time -  14 hours 23 minutes 
Average Rating - 4.25 stars



Monday, 13 July 2026

Birds I Met in June

 

We're into the seventh year of Birdy Round Ups, and compared to when I first started these posts, it would seem birding as a hobby in general has greatly increased in popularity. While it always feels a little strange when something I have loved for a long time becomes a 'trend', it's absolutely great that people are noticing and appreciating our beautiful wildlife more and more. They need as much help as they can get, and when people are more aware of who we share the planet with, it raises the chances of them getting that help.

As someone who has been a birder for around 22 years now, I vouch for the joy and peace that our bird kingdom brings. For what we get from them, we must give back. Feed the birds. Provide fresh water sources all year round (keep them topped up in Summer and the ice broken in Winter). Plant native trees, bushes, flowers - look into which are great food sources, shelter, etc. Resist the urge to sanitise your outdoor spaces (for example, leave the leaves, don't over-prune, try to keep things as wild as possible with as little concrete and such as possible). Give them space. Stop pets and children from chasing or scaring them, even more so in Winter when they need to conserve energy and taking flight takes a lot of their energy! Most importantly, just be kind. All species, from gulls and pigeons to birds of prey and 'game birds' like pheasants, are all equal and deserve to live a safe, healthy life.

Anyway! Here are all the beautiful birds I met in June.



4th June
Pigeon
Starling


6th June
Herring Gull
Magpie



7th June
Great Tit
House Sparrow



8th June
Rock Dove/Pigeon
Black Backed Gull
Kittiwake
Razorbill
Cormorant
Herring Gull



12th June
Pigeon


16th June
Collared Dove
Pigeon
Jackdaw
Wood Pigeon
Goldfinch


18th June
Collared Dove
Jackdaw
Pigeon



19th June
Blackbird
Swallow
Common White Throat
Lapwing
Avocet
Oystercatcher
Moorhen
Black Headed Gull
Common Tern
Coot
Tufted Duck
Greylag Goose


21st June
Robin
Bullfinch


22nd June
Pigeon


24th June
Pigeon


25th June
Dunnock
Pied Wagtail


27th June
Goldfinch


29th June
Pigeon

Annual Total
Avocet
Blackbird
Black-Headed Gull
Blue Tit
Bullfinch
Buzzard
Canada Goose
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Coal Tit

Collared Dove
Common Tern
Common Whitethroat
Coot
Cormorant
Dunnock
Eider
Fulmar
Gadwall
Goldcrest

Goldfinch
Great Black-Backed Gull
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Greenfinch
Greylag Goose
Grey Heron
Grey Wagtail
Herring Gull
House Sparrow

Jackdaw
Kestrel
Kittiwake
Lapwing
Linnet
Little Grebe
Long-Tailed Tit
Magpie
Mallard
Meadow Pipit

Moorhen
Mute Swan
Oystercatcher
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail
Pink-Footed Goose
Razorbill
Reed Bunting
Ring-necked Parakeet
Robin

Rock Dove
Rook
Sand Martin
Sedge Warbler
Shelduck
Shoveler
Siskin
Skylark
Sparrowhawk
Starling

Stock Dove
Swallow
Swift
Treecreeper 
Tufted Duck
Wood Pigeon

[& Greylag x Canada Goose Hybrid]

- 67

Monthly 'New' Totals
January - 28 birds
February - 8 birds 
March - 14 birds
April - 3 birds
May - 10 birds
June - 4 birds