‘The wood holds its breath, the only sound the begging of the chicks. The forest hasn’t been this peaceful for a thousand years.’

When lockdown happened, wildlife cameraman James Aldred had the unique experience of being alone in the New Forest with a family of wild Goshawks. No cars, no off-roaders, no aeroplanes roaring in the skies, no one in the Goshawk woods – except James.

And so, over Spring and into Summer, he began to record his experiences in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life.

Amidst the fragility and the fear, there was silver moonlight, tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring Goshawks – shining like fire through one of our darkest times. A Goshawk summer unlike any other.

Winner of the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing 2022

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