Author Archives: Amanda Tuke
Thirty-minute birder series: Take the Aire – Bird Watching Magazine
Visiting the university was a great opportunity to squeeze in some birdwatching in Leeds, and thanks to the generosity of some local birders, in particular Abi and Hep aka The Considerate Birders, I had a great time.
Thirty-minute birder series: Car park birding – Bird Watching Magazine
So I was wondering if nature-writing noir is a thing? The perfect marriage between my two favourite genres of creative writing. Writing this article about enjoying birds in car parks was the perfect opportunity to dip in a toe – as let’s face it, you know something bad’s going to happen in a thriller when […]
Parasitic plants – BBC Countryfile Magazine
I’m delighted to have a feature on parasitic plants Vampires in the meadow in BBC Countryfile Magazine, February 2022 issue, which is flagged on the front cover under the Green Planet banner.
Thirty-minute-birder series: Holiday romance – BIRD WATCHING MAGAZINE
In which I squeeze in some birdwatching on a family holiday and chat to impressive teenage birder, Zach Pannifer, about gull identification…
Do birders have it easy? and other tales: Out There – an anthology of nature and travel writing
It’s so lovely to see my writing alongside pieces by such a fabulously talented set of students. These are the inspiring folk I’ve had the pleasure to get to know over the last couple of years at Bath Spa Uni.
Thirty-minute birder series: there yesterday, gone today – Bird Watching Magazine
It’s so much fun writing these articles for Bird Watching Magazine and I meet such interesting birders out there. In this one in the January 2022 issue, I have some success with what I like to call mini-twitching.
Tales from the suburban wild – feasts and jamming
I arrive at the community orchard with my guitar, and find the Apple Day activities well underway. Kids are making bird feeders by sticking seeds into apples, and there’s free apple juice made using the apples visitors were encouraged to bring along from their gardens. The promised cider hasn’t materialised but for me that’s probably […]
Tales from the suburban wild – food for fairies and a hunger for nature learning
A woman is walking in front of me on Peckham Rye with a four-year-old. He’s looking at something in his hand, a conker in its prickly case. “Perhaps it’s food for fairies and elves?” mum says. The boy frowns at the conker. “No, Mummy, they’re for animals”. Busted. Sarah opens the heavy Victorian door and […]
Thirty-minute birder series: Trainspotting – Bird Watching Magazine
Here’s my latest article in the December 2021 issue of the very lovely Bird Watching Magazine. It was a great excuse for a chat with inspirational birder and conservationist, Ruth Tingay, and good to hear from others about the experiences they’d had spotting birds while travelling. Thanks to all the contributors – I couldn’t do […]
Tales from the suburban wild – woman on the verge
I’m standing in the middle of the road which runs alongside Sydenham Hill wood. To be fair this is a pretty quiet road looping off the main road along Sydenham Hill ridge, so it isn’t quite as daring as it might sound. In front of me is a curving triangular verge of about ten square […]
The Urban Naturalist 