Helen Macdonald 2020. Vesper Flights. Jonathan Cape: London, 261 pp.

Apparently I’m the only one who didn’t warm to Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk (too much Helen, too little hawk). Essays suit her better though - especially the title essay on swifts. Many essays have nothing to do with birds but many of these are also good, notably the one on planetary geologist Nathalie Cabrol.