For a while we walked in silence and then I asked her why the ­fishermen thought the corncrakes had gone. “Just greed,” she replied, “they’d have said it was greed.”

Certain themes, though, emerge – foremost among them the environmental consequences of intensive agriculture. From mechanised harvesting to pesticide use; from the practice of winter cropping (fatally disruptive to the nesting habits of both lapwings and grey partridges) to, above all, the decline of the small but biodiverse ‘patchwork’ farm in favour of 50-acre fields of ‘arable desert’. Along the way, from Orkney to West Wales, from the wildest places to post-industrial towns, he meets a fascinatingly eclectic group of people who in very different ways are on the front line of conservation, tirelessly doing everything they can to save ten species teetering dangerously close to extinction. In Search of One Last Song mixes conservation, folklore, history, and art. The writing is strong, the book an impressive debut, establishing Galbraith as a quality writer.” - Tim Dee, Caught by the River So, casting aside any preconceptions I have spent much of the last two days reading this excellent book. It will, for sure, be one of my books of the year for 2022. In Search of One Last Song mixes conservation, folklore, history, and art. Through talking to musicians, writers and poets, whose work is inspired by the birds he manages to see, such as the nightingale and the capercaillie, Galbraith creates a picture of the immense cultural void that would be left behind if these birds were gone.The forces threatening these birds’ extinction are multiple and complex and ultimately different for each. Galbraith’s writing is beautiful … In Search of One Last Song feels like an important step in the right direction” - Stephen Rutt, British Birds Sometimes these birds figure as direct links to precious personal histories. ‘Heard it purring in the hedge,’ remembers Graham Denny in Suffolk, thirteen days after his father died, ‘and I just howled and howled. Turtle doves is something I shared with my dad my whole life.’ In terms of both scope and execution, this book is a hugely impressive achievement, and it will be fascinating to see where Galbraith goes from here." Wonderful and enriching' Adam Nicolson 'The best book on conservation and the countryside I have read in years' John Lewis-Stempel 'A modern pastoral written with intelligence, wit and lyricism' Cal Flyn Our wild places and wildlife are disappearing at a terrifying rate.

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book – but with some trepidation. I know the author just a little, he bought me lunch once, and I chose my words carefully and somewhat guardedly with him. Why? Because he is the editor of the Shooting Times. All views expressed in the book are those of its protagonists and not (necessarily) those of its author. Galbraith’s own perspective on the controversies inherent in his subject material – though of potential interest (he being, after all, the current editor of Shooting Times) – is almost entirely withheld. Tom was living there alone and most days it would fly down to see him. All morning we sat in a shed at the bottom of his garden and talked about what birds mean to him as a poet. A treasury of a book ... filled with beautiful moments, amazing and sometimes rather surprising characters, and, if we could only learn from them, reasons for hope.' John Burnside, New Statesman An important and timely book that explores the human context of an ecological emergency. Galbraith is a thoughtful, assured and elegant writer who brings a mature intelligence and open-minded insight to his subject.' Oban Times -

An important and timely book that explores the human context of an ecological emergency. Galbraith is a thoughtful, assured and elegant writer who brings a mature intelligence and open-minded insight to his subject.' Oban Times Voice after voice in In Search of One Last Song talks urgently of the need to recalibrate imbalances in the natural environment – and those who sound most frustrated are those who feel their hands most senselessly tied.