Sidelines
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Winter emigrants—for the time being
Swallows aren’t summer migrants; they’re winter emigrants.
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A healthy assortment of raptors
A walk on the Moor.
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Stanage Edge
A walk in Derbyshire.
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A lesson in paying attention
Engaging with a Renaissance masterpiece.
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My unplanned archives
Collections of informally documented stuff have become my archives of sorts.
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Descent into violins
The best essayists use seemingly trivial, original examples to illustrate recurring themes of personal importance.
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Converting my notes into a chapter
How I used my note-making system to research and write a chapter of my Darwin book.
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Lady Amherst’s pheasant
A rare bird visits our garden.
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Weird magpie
In which I encounter a brown and white magpie.
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Sibling rivalry
In nature, individuals aren’t just in competition with the elements or other species.
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The slippery slope of minor embellishments
Artistic licence in factual writing doesn’t include making stuff up.