Michael Warren | Lightnews

Michael J. Warren

@drmjwarren.bsky.social

870 followers 870 following 500 posts

Writer, naturalist, medievalist, teacher. Trustee of Curlew Action. The Cuckoo’s Lea, Bloomsbury, out now: birds in our ancient and modern senses of place. Marshes. Winter. Whisky.
https://linktr.ee/cuckooslea
www.birdsandplace.co.uk .. more

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Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · May 25

Well, here it is. My copy arrived. Out 5th June. This is the beautiful indie-exclusive edition with it’s gorgeous sprayed edges. Thanks ever so @amyjanebeer.bsky.social, Mary Colwell and @jon-moses.bsky.social for your generous cover quotes. @chiffchat.bsky.social #naturewriting

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 1d

Continuing with the Devon series in the run up to my event on 13th @thebookery.bsky.social, bird place-name of the day 110 is: GOSFORD. Straightforward this one and the name hasn’t changed at all from the Old English: gos + ford. ‘Ford where geese can cross’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting

OS map showing Devon village of Gosford.

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 2d

It’s all worrying isn’t it. I genuinely suffer from anxiety on these matters.

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 2d

And if you already have books by @guyshrubsole.bsky.social, bring them along for signing!

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 2d

Really looking forward to this, with @guyshrubsole.bsky.social, next Thursday (13th Nov). Come and join us for an evening of birds, place and belonging. #Crediton #naturewriting

The Bookery, Crediton @thebookery.bsky.social · 2d

🎫 Have you got your ticket yet?

🐦‍⬛ We can't wait to welcome @drmjwarren.bsky.social to The Bookery this coming Thursday to discuss his new book, The Cuckoo’s Lea: The Forgotten History of Birds and Place, in conversation with environmental campaigner and author Guy Shrubsole! 🧵 ⬇️

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 2d

Oh please let these forecast temperatures be on the way later on this November. I can’t deal with this warmth. Literally very comfortable out in shorts and t-shirt today. 😔 #WarmNovember #RecordBreakingWeather

Reposted by Michael Warren

The Bookery, Crediton @thebookery.bsky.social · 2d

Reposted by Michael Warren

Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 3d

"Giving up [on 1.5C] would be a total betrayal. Defeatism never took a single of a fraction of a degree of global warming. It never created a single job.”

Hear, hear, Ed Miliband.

(But also: some of those defeatists appear to be in the Treasury currently)

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Giving up would be a betrayal’: Miliband says 1.5C target still alive before Cop30

Exclusive: Environment secretary says global tipping points are possible as he rejects far-right climate ‘defeatism’

www.theguardian.com

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 3d

Ramridge may no longer be there, but ravens sure are in the area. If you’re a Devon local, come and here me and @guyshrubsole.bsky.social talk about ravens and other birds in the places of Devon, @thebookery.bsky.social in Crediton, 13th November: www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/cre...

www.ticketsource.co.uk

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 3d

Bird place-name of the day 109: RAMRIDGE (lost place, somewhere in Devon parish of Holcombe Burnell: www.heritagegateway.org.uk/gateway/Resu... ). OE hremn + hrycg. ‘Ravens’ ridge’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 4d

Still in Devon, bird place-name of the day 108 is KIGBEARE. OE ca + bearu. ‘Jackdaw wood’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting

OS map showing Devon village of KIGBEARE.

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Michael Warren

Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 5d

This is absolutely appalling.

"The UK will not contribute to a flagship fund for the world’s remaining tropical forests, in a bitter blow to the Brazilian hosts on the eve of the Cop30 climate summit."

Absolutely pathetic.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

UK opts out of flagship fund to protect Amazon and other threatened tropical forests

Decision is bitter blow to Brazil ahead of fund’s launch at Cop30 – and an embarrassment to Prince William

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Michael Warren

Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 5d

European countries want Brazil to increase forest conservation (it certainly can). But some of the world's best opportunities to spare & restore carbon in native forests—while displacing the least food production—actually lie in Europe. Our analysis shows this: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 5d

That’s directly cognate with Old English hremn, an alternative to hrefn.

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 5d

😁👍

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 5d

Thanks Chris. Great to hear you’re enjoying. Yes, I’m Dr Warren, fully paid up medievalist! Check out my website and book for more info on place-name study. Sources for my work are from, and supported by, the English Place-Name Society.

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 6d

Next in the Devon series, bird place-name of the day 107: DUNKESWELL. OE dunnoc + wella. ‘Dunnock’s spring’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting

OS map showing Devon village of DUNKESWELL.

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 6d

Not sure my year 11 boys can cope with it, once I’ve revealed just how vulgar Mercutio is being. They certainly struggle to write about that sort of thing in an appropriately academic fashion!

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 6d

Literally just taught this ribaldry to my year 11 classes.

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 6d

Thanks both, see you in December!

Reposted by Dolly Jørgensen

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 7d

For more examples of bird place-names, see www.birdsandplace.co.uk

The Birds and Place Project

www.birdsandplace.co.uk

Reposted by Dolly Jørgensen

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 7d

Bird place-name of the day 106: EXWELL BARTON. Continuing my daily Devon series in the run up to my event @thebookery.bsky.social in Crediton, here’s one you’d never guess. From OE geac + wella, it means ‘cuckoo’s spring’. Now what about that? #birdsandplace #naturewriting

OS map showing minor place, Exwell Barton.

Reposted by Michael Warren

Amanda Tuke @amandatuke.bsky.social · 7d

Nature writers are invariably a delight to talk to & when I asked for top tips on editing, this is what they said... @nicwilson.bsky.social @drmjwarren.bsky.social @amyjanebeer.bsky.social @jensoilandpen.bsky.social @derekniemann.bsky.social shorturl.at/y1IiL Here's me chatting to lovely Nic Wilson.

When I asked some of my favourite nature writers for their top tips on editing, this is what they said…

Dr Jen Jones – “My tips would be: always read your work out loud, don’t be precious about your words, and remember the edited piece will be better. It is hard getting rid of words…

freelancenaturewriter.com

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 8d

Two authors writing about special places, together on a bookshelf in Southwold. 😁 If you’d like to see me and @guyshrubsole.bsky.social together for real, join us on 13th November @thebookery.bsky.social in Crediton (19:30). See below for tickets and details. #naturewriting #Crediton #WhatsOn

Nature writing shelf at Southwold bookshop

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 8d

For bird place-name of the day 105, I’m using the same map for yesterday, because right by Yarner Wood, in the corner of the map, is ULLACOMBE (Farm), one of several old owl-combe places in this part of the country. #birdsandplace #baturewriting @thebookery.bsky.social @guyshrubsole.bsky.social

Reposted by Michael Warren

The Bookery, Crediton @thebookery.bsky.social · 8d

🎫 Ticket £5, book & ticket £20 from the bookshop or online at www.thebookery.org.uk/events

@bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social @drmjwarren.bsky.social @guyshrubsole.bsky.social #TheBookery #Crediton #WhatsOn

Reposted by Michael Warren

Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 9d

Great day searching for Hazel Gloves and other fungi in Devon rainforests with David Satori from RBG Kew, who’s researching the mycorrhizal fungal diversity of British Atlantic oak and hazel woods: www.kew.org/science/our-...

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 9d

Continuing my Devon series of bird place-name of the day for the next 2 weeks, number 104 is YARNER (Wood), OE earn + ofer, ‘eagle ridge’. Still on my list of places to get to when I’m next Devon way visiting my father-in-law. #birdsandplace #naturewriting

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 10d

Hear more at my event on 13th November.

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 10d

Bird place-name of the day 103: Devon double whammy, right next to each other! Rockbeare (rook wood) and Cranbrook (cranes’ stream). Rockbeare is old, but Cranbrook is a newly built town, named after nearby minor name Crannaford (why not just keep the old name?!). #birdsandplace #naturewriting

OS map showing Devon town of Cranbrook and village of Rockbeare.

Michael J. Warren @drmjwarren.bsky.social · 11d

Because I’m in Crediton (Devon) on 13th Nov for a book talk, I thought I’d do a Devon sequence for my bird place-name of the day series as a run up to the event. So, 102 is RUXFORD BARTON, near Sandford, north of Crediton. OE hroc + ford. ‘Rook’s ford’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting

OS map showing estate of Ruxford Barton in Devon.

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