The Meaning of Geese

‘[B]eautiful in its detail of the pink-foot, brent and snow geese… The Meaning of Geese is mournful and magisterial.’ Observer

‘Goose-nerd Nick Acheson opens his wildlife diary to us, sharing the highs and lows of a unique winter spent in nature’s embrace on the windswept North Norfolk coast. The Meaning of Geese is an intimate study of the intriguing lives of these under-appreciated birds, as well as a window into the inner workings of a naturalist’s obsession.’ Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell

‘Combining old-school charm with 2020s urgency, Nick’s book, like its subject, is simultaneously earthing and elevating, evoking the bittersweet ache of belonging to a place that is changing but still and always home. The writing is measured, erudite, unfailingly generous but with an underlying emotional vibrancy that cuts through like an icy wind or the sudden dazzle of winter sun.’ Amy-Jane Beer, author of The Flow

‘A fascinating and thought-provoking record of an individual and his passion for geese, among other birds. Beautifully descriptive but also detailed in the history of winged visitors to the North Norfolk coast, Nick communicates pure passion and unconditional love for a landscape that is his home. A book about geese, people, their observations and a landscape steeped in natural history.’ Jake Fiennes, author of Land Healer

‘What Nick has achieved with The Meaning of Geese is not just a timely, poignant meditation on his relationship with these birds and his home, but through powerful, lyrical prose, he seems to happen upon unlocking the meaning of life itself: a passionate, purposeful existence which is entirely bound to and entwined with the natural world. Relaxing yet rousing. Honest, human and heart-grabbing. I loved this book so much.’ Sophie Pavelle, author of Forget Me Not

‘This book is an absolute treasure. Nick’s attention to detail is astonishing, but he also writes with humour, humility and grace, seamlessly blending a lifetime of knowledge, insight and passion – not only for his beloved geese but for the entire natural world. I will never again look at geese without pondering their “meaning”.’ Brigit Strawbridge Howard, author of Dancing with Bees

 ‘The Meaning of Geese shows us it is possible and necessary to know ourselves and our wild world through a deep intimacy with just one place under the sky – and the simple reach of a mother’s happy red-darter-coloured bicycle. In an awe-filled and absorbing portrait, wild geese bring the world and its mysteries to us and our shared landscape.  

The warmth, humility, friendship and deep knowledge that exude from this book are infectious and necessary. It is a lyrical love letter to North Norfolk, its skies, people and the gleaming, binding, gossamer threads its geese trail across the globe and back. The Meaning of Geese shows us how we too can be explorers and pioneers of a deeper knowledge, from the seat of an old red bicycle.’ Nicola Chester, author of On Gallows Down

‘A delightful account of a low-tech (and low-carbon) quest to follow, watch and understand one of Britain’s greatest bird spectacles: the huge flocks of pink-footed geese that visit our shores from the far north each autumn and winter.’ Stephen Moss, author of Ten Birds that Changed the World

‘Nick Acheson lives his life as he writes his books – full of clarity and passion. Only a man hefted so deeply to a landscape could bring the detail of wildlife to the page in such brightness. So much so that you feel you are riding on his handlebars as he toils up Norfolk’s hills on his old bike in search of his beloved geese or shivering at his side as an easterly wind buffets the flocks that fuss and shout all around.  

Migrant geese bring with them the spectacle of the sunlit months of northern reaches, places like Iceland, Siberia, even Canada. As the days shorten, they are guided by the stars to whiffle and glide onto the mud of the North Norfolk coast, bringing in their wake a yearning evoked by meeting travellers who have seen what we never will. But for Nick, the geese are far more than natural wonders, they are the embodiment of a rich human history, the stuff of folktales, the creatures that bind nature-loving friends together, a consolation in the dark months, and they are feathered portents of a changing planet. The Meaning of Geese is exactly the right title. 

The details of Norfolk’s wildlife, large and small, fall out of the page. As I read this book while winter nudges away the last warm days of the year, I am fired by a love for a world that still has geese sailing through the night to land amongst us and am grateful to those who wait for them to arrive and watch them with wonder.’ Mary Colwell, author of Curlew Moon

‘In The Meaning of Geese, Nick invites you into the realm of gaggles, honks and cackles. His gentle, warm love for all things goose shines from every page. In winter walks gone by, I might have overlooked a field full of these feathered beings, but Nick’s ability to shine a spotlight of adoration, wonder and curiosity onto something right under your nose is quite wonderful. Growing up in Lancashire, a sky brimming with honking pink-footed geese is a visceral childhood memory, and I feel like Nick’s goose winter has reconnected me with those feelings of awe and joy.’ Lucy Hodson, BBC Springwatch, naturalist and wildlife communicator

'Poetic, wry, beautifully observed and possessing a wonderful sense of place, this is note-perfect nature writing.' Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterfly Isles 

‘A poignant and intimate study of the lives of geese.’ BirdGuides