ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Time alone in nature is time well spent. But exploring with others leads to shared experiences. Companions may point out things that would have gone unnoticed, or been noticed but left unidentified.

Ali Carter was subjected to the dual horrors of a night walk in the wildest part of Devon we could find within easy reach of the house, and being separated from her phone for several hours (for reasons that will become apparent later).

My uncle and aunt, David and Pam Gibbons deserve a special mention for a kind act that goes back to October 1982. They gave me a copy of the Reader’s Digest Field Guide to the Birds of Britain for my birthday. Thiat book, more than any other, led to a career in ornithology and a life-long relationship with birds and other wildlife.

My interest in wild foods was enhanced by contributing a weekly piece for Mark Avery’s influential blog Standing up for Nature, from which some of the writing here has been developed.

I’m grateful to Stephen Todd, who identified the make and model of an old car I found in the woods, based on no more than a smartphone image of a hundred-year-old dashboard posted on Twitter.

Hazel Carter read an early draft of the text and pointed out things that fell flat, as well as points that might work well if only they could be explained more clearly.

The team at Pelagic helped ensure that the route to publication was as smooth and painless as these things possibly can be. Hugh Brazier made insightful comments on the Introduction and the early chapters of the book. David Hawkins edited the whole text, and strayed well beyond the normal bounds of copy-editing when necessary, making good use of his natural history expertise along the way. Nigel Massen was always on hand to answer questions and provide guidance as the project developed. And Rhiannon Robins has made every effort to get the book into as many hands as possible.

Finally, I’d like to thank Natural England, my former employers, for giving me a career in conservation, the chance to visit wild places all over England (and occasionally further afield), and a redundancy package that allowed me to wander around mid-Devon for a while with a reasonably clear head.