A Season of Birds: A Norfolk Diary, 1911

At the turn of the century a rich undergraduate from Cambridge University, the Honorable Edwin Montagu, visited the Norfolk Broads and befriended a local boy, James Vincent. Their excursions together formed the basis of a friendship that lasted nearly twenty years, cutting across the barriers of social position and background. Later Montagu returned to Hickling and Vincent, now his keeper, taught Montagu the bird lore of the Broads. As his interest in the area developed, Montagu, by now a minister in Herbert Asquith's government, decided to preserve a bird diary for 1911 kept by Jim Vincent in an unusual and delightful way. He commissioned the eminent Edwardian bird artist Geore E. Lodge to illustrate it. The result was a meticulous and vivid study inwords and pictures of one of the richest bird areas in Europe. Over 200 birds were recorded, as well as Vincent's account of his pioneer work in preserving rare species.Copiously illustrated in watercolor and pencil sketches, this remarkable find is now published for the first time. Vincent became an outstanding ornithologist and the creator of a remarkable bird sanctuary. With over 90 illustrations in color, "A Season of Birds" will give lasting pleasure to both bird lovers and the general reader.