12 Birds to Save Your Life

Brought to you by Penguin.

Discover the healing power of nature through the stories of these characterful birds.

Can you recognise the cheerful chirrups of the house sparrow? A song thrush singing out at winter's darkest hour? Or the beautiful, haunting call of the curlew?

At a time of great anxiety and uncertainty, while coping with the untimely death of his mother, Charlie Corbett realised his perspective on life was slipping. In a moment of despair, he found himself - somewhat damp - lying on the side of a lonely hill staring up at a leaden sky, a melancholy drizzle seeping into his bones.

Suddenly he hears the song of a single skylark - that soaring, tinkling, joyous sound - and he is transported away from the drizzle and dark thoughts. Grounded by the beauty of nature, perspective dawns. No longer the leading role in his own private melodrama, but merely a minor part in nature's great epic.

Such is the power of these creatures to raise you from life's periodic depths. Through 12 characterful birds, Charlie show us that there is joy to be found in the very smallest of events - if we know where to look and how to listen. From solitary skylarks to squabbling sparrows, he explores the place of these birds in our history, culture and landscape, noting what they look like and where you're most likely to meet them.

By reconnecting with the wildlife all around him, through learning to understand, love, and begin to move with the rhythms of the natural world outside his door, Charlie discovered nature's powerful ability to heal.

These birds can help you too. Every day.