The Meaning of Geese: A Thousand Miles in Search of Home

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What really stuck with me was Acheson's vivid descriptions of different geese, landscapes and other birds that he encounters along the way. The Meaning of Geese shows us how we too can be explorers and pioneers of a deeper knowledge, from the seat of an old red bicycle. Now, geese are a mixed bunch really and the best geese in this area are, for me, the masses of Pinkfeet (Pink-footed Geese) and Brent Geese. He recounts his days of exploration and observation as he journeys around Norfolk on his mother's trusty 40-year-old red bicycle.

The Meaning of Geese by Nick Acheson | Waterstones The Meaning of Geese by Nick Acheson | Waterstones

A mizzle prevents any view of anything as Nick Acheson squelches along a muddy seabank beside the Norfolk coast. For seven months he kept a diary of his sightings, and the stories he came across as he pedalled 1,200 miles following the flocks of winter geese. Nick Acheson is a naturalist, conservationist and environmentalist who lives on the bank of the River Wensum in North Norfolk, UK. One day he spotted unusual Todd's Canada and snow geese within a flock of 20,000 birds just south of Docking. Nick Acheson is one such individual, and the significance of the pinks, brents and white-fronts that winter in his north Norfolk landscape is evident from his engaging and beautifully delivered text.

Through paying close attention to wild nature, Acheson, like so many of us, has found solace during difficult times. Hundreds of high-pitched voices draw nearer – and this vast, desolate landscape of wet marsh and damp air is animated by a glorious cacophony of pink-footed geese. As the pandemic rolled across the world he found himself alone with little work and close family vulnerable and isolating. To honour the geese's great athletic migrations, Nick kept a diary of his sightings as well as the stories he discovered through the community of people, past and present, who loved them, too.

The Meaning of Geese by Nick Acheson (Hardback) - Coles Books The Meaning of Geese by Nick Acheson (Hardback) - Coles Books

The warmth, humility, friendship and deep knowledge that exude from this book are infectious and necessary. He came home ten years later, having worked in conservation, sustainable development and ecotourism the length and breadth of Bolivia, across South America, and in Australia and India. It is a lyrical love letter to North Norfolk, its skies, people and the gleaming, binding, gossamer threads its geese trail across the globe and back. Blessed with a poet’s way with words, crossed with a scientist’s rigorous pursuit of knowledge, Nick has turned his epic bike ride and bird hunt into an important and beautiful book. Instead he followed flights of geese, by bicycle across Norfolk and through sightings from fellow naturalists, around the world.The Meaning of Geese is an intimate study of the intriguing lives of these under-appreciated birds, as well as a window into the inner workings of a naturalist's obsession. It is a quiet book that celebrates these winter visitors and, at the same time, reveals something of the author and his approach to watching nature. There is plenty of accurate observation from the naturalist but above all his deep love of nature in general and wild geese in particular comes through a gentle and accessible style. Poetic, wry, beautifully observed and possessing a wonderful sense of place, this is note-perfect nature writing. In The Meaning of Geese Nick recounts these adventures, starting with the dramatic arrival of the pinkfeet and brent geese as they land in the thousands in Britain each autumn.

The Meaning of Geese - Chelsea Green UK The Meaning of Geese - Chelsea Green UK

But the bright, boisterous life of the rainforest was coloured with immense sadness as its wildlife retreated. As you’d expect from a former tour guide, Acheson has a gift for describing geese, in words and while on our walk. This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use.

The information that Acheson provides us with is focused and informative in some ways, but it also contains beautifully lyrical lines which are dispersed throughout. Personally, I can’t get so worked up about some of the other geese wandering around in this area – the Egyptian Geese, Canada Geese and even all those Greylag Geese, and the more than just occasional Barnacle Geese these days. Nick will be talking about it at the Norwich Science Festival on February 11 (as part of Wildlife fieldwork: the grubby and X-rated truth) and at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust centre in Cley on March 2. What emerges is a sense of shared passion, and a shared responsibility for the future of these birds. He meticulously details the geese's arrival, observing what they mean to his beloved Norfolk and the role they play in local people's lives - and what role the birds could play in our changing world.