This book is treasure trove of regional history, nature writing, and an insight into the formation and continuation of a long-running, successful bird observatory. It brings to life the legendary stories that I’d heard from my father and his friends while I was growing up – some stories that have stuck with me ever since and that I’m now reading from the source, others that were new but equally as fascinating. Hearing about the lighthouse attractions really caught my imagination. Another story, relating to being run over by a car on the shingle, is one I’d heard as a child but never really believed – until now. Hearing that the first bird ringed at the observatory (according to some but not all authors) was a Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus is the sort of snippet that really grabs my attention.