Author Interviews

‘John Henry Gurney: A Passion for Birds’ was published in 2025 by John Beaufoy Publishing in association with the British Ornithologists Club. It was authored by Clive Slater, Peter Munday and Ray Williams. Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne interviews the lead author, Clive Slater. Clive Slater read Zoology at King’s College, University of London (1966-1969). Following a career in environmental and public health as a chartered practitioner and university lecturer in the UK and overseas, he […]

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne interviews Nils van Duivendijk on his book ‘ID Handbook of European Birds’ published by Princeton University Press. The book is published in 2 volumes. It was Birdwatch magazine’s Book of Year for 2024. Nils van Duivendijk has been involved in birding since his childhood. It was in his younger years when his interest in ID started. Studies of the species of the Western Palearctic (Europe, North Africa and the Middle East) […]

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne interviews Richard and Barbara Mearns on their book ‘Biographies for Birdwatchers, The Lives of Those Commemorated in Western Palearctic Bird Names’. Privately published in 2022. 2 softback A4 vols with over 250 portraits (396pp & 266pp). ISBN 978-0-9556739-3-1. £69.99 plus P&P, www.mearnsbooks.com. Reproduced with permission from the Quarterly Newsletter (Issue No. 272, March 2024) of the London Natural History Society. Barbara Mearns was born in Greenock, studied in Edinburgh, and then […]

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne interviews Conor Mark Jameson on his book ‘Finding W.H. Hudson: The Writer Who Came to Britain to Save the Birds’ published by Pelagic Publishing. Reproduced with permission from the Quarterly Newsletter (Issue No. 272, March 2024) of the London Natural History Society. Conor Mark Jameson has written for the Guardian, BBC Wildlife, the Ecologist, New Statesman, Africa Geographic, NZ Wilderness, British Birds, Birdwatch and Birdwatching magazines and has been a scriptwriter […]

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne interviews Dominic Couzens on his book ‘A Year of Bird Song’ illustrated by Madeleine Floyd published by Batsford. Reproduced with permission from the Quarterly Newsletter (Issue No. 271, December 2023) of the London Natural History Society. Dominic Couzens is an award-winning nature writer, with over 40 book titles to his name, as well as many hundreds of articles for magazines and the national press. He has regular columns in Bird Watching […]

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne interviews Mike Unwin on this latest book ‘Around the World in 80 Birds’. The book is illustrated by Ryuto Miyake and published by Laurence King. Reproduced with permission from the Quarterly Newsletter (Issue No. 270, September 2023) of the London Natural History Society. Mike Unwin is an award-winning writer of popular natural history books for adults and children. He writes for The Daily Telegraph, The Times, BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa, as […]

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne interviews prolific nature writer Stephen Moss on his book ‘Skylarks with Rosie: A Somerset Spring’ published by Saraband. Reproduced with permission from the Quarterly Newsletter (Issue No. 261, May 2025) of the London Natural History Society. Stephen Moss is one of Britain’s leading nature writers, broadcasters and wildlife television producers, specialising in birds and British wildlife. He is the author of many books, including ‘biographies’ of the Robin, Wren and Swallow, […]

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne interviews prolific nature writer Marianne Taylor on her book ‘Gull Next Door’ published by Wild Nature Press. Reproduced with permission from the Quarterly Newsletter (Issue No. 261, February 2021) of the London Natural History Society. Marianne Taylor has since 2007 worked as a freelance writer, photographer and illustrator, focusing on wildlife and nature and, particularly, British birds. She is a prolific author and her books include RSPB Pocket guide to British […]

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne interviews Christine Jackson on her book ‘A Newsworthy Naturalist: The Life of William Yarrell’ published in association with the British Ornithologists’ Club (BOC). Reproduced with permission from the Quarterly Newsletter (Issue No. 266, August 2022) of the London Natural History Society.   Christine E Jackson attended Greenhead High School, a grammar school in Huddersfield and Manchester Library School leading to the qualification A.L.A. (Associate of the Library Association). She was Librarian […]