Vesper Flights

A collection of essays that consider the human relationship to nature.

Helen MacDonald, author of H is for Hawk, offers a collection of essays that highlight the dynamics between the human and natural worlds.  In one of my favorite essays, "Tekels Park", MacDonald switches focus like a birdwatcher with binoculars, zooming in on the details of her unusual childhood, then broadening her lens to the universal experience of returning as an adult to a beloved childhood place that is altered by perspective and time.  Another favorite essay, "High Rise", describes the flight patterns of migrating birds observed from the top of the Empire State Building – an ancient phenomenon that we humans are still trying to understand.  Overall, this collection is a love letter to the natural world, with moments of wonder for the mysteries and grief for the loss of species and habitat.