Michael J. Warren
@drmjwarren.bsky.social
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
https://linktr.ee/cuckooslea
www.birdsandplace.co.uk
Bird place-name of the day 115: SNITTON (Shrops). OE snite + tun. Possibly ‘snipe frequented estate/settlement’. #birdsandplace #placenames #naturewriting
November 22, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Bird place-name of the day 115: SNITTON (Shrops). OE snite + tun. Possibly ‘snipe frequented estate/settlement’. #birdsandplace #placenames #naturewriting
People of Norfolk, come and spend a cosy winter evening with me, @themarshtit.bsky.social and @timholtwilson.bsky.social as we talk birds, landscape and history at NWT’s Cley reserve on 5th Dec. Tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tales-of-b.... #NorfolkWildlifeTrust #NorfolkNature #naturewriting
November 20, 2025 at 8:05 PM
People of Norfolk, come and spend a cosy winter evening with me, @themarshtit.bsky.social and @timholtwilson.bsky.social as we talk birds, landscape and history at NWT’s Cley reserve on 5th Dec. Tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tales-of-b.... #NorfolkWildlifeTrust #NorfolkNature #naturewriting
Bird place-name of the day 114: HARPENDEN (Herts). OE hearp + denu. Possibly ‘nightingale’s valley’. Carole Hough (Edinburgh Uni) suggested that PNs with hearp (literally ‘harp’) could metaphorically refer to nightingales, not human harpers. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
November 20, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Bird place-name of the day 114: HARPENDEN (Herts). OE hearp + denu. Possibly ‘nightingale’s valley’. Carole Hough (Edinburgh Uni) suggested that PNs with hearp (literally ‘harp’) could metaphorically refer to nightingales, not human harpers. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
Bird place-name of the day 113: SUGHAM FM (Lingfield, Surrey). OE sucga + ham. ‘Farm/estate frequented by sparrows’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting #oldenglish #placenames
November 16, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Bird place-name of the day 113: SUGHAM FM (Lingfield, Surrey). OE sucga + ham. ‘Farm/estate frequented by sparrows’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting #oldenglish #placenames
Was awesome! A packed out venue. A top event of 2025 for me. Thanks ever so to @guyshrubsole.bsky.social and @thebookery.bsky.social. I’ll be finding the rooks of Lapford again this dusk at Bury Barton. #thecuckooslea #birdsandplace #authorevents
November 14, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Was awesome! A packed out venue. A top event of 2025 for me. Thanks ever so to @guyshrubsole.bsky.social and @thebookery.bsky.social. I’ll be finding the rooks of Lapford again this dusk at Bury Barton. #thecuckooslea #birdsandplace #authorevents
@nicolawriting.bsky.social, on my way to Crediton for my talk with @guyshrubsole.bsky.social tonight, and thinking of you as we stop at Hungerford. Sadly no time to jump off and pay you a flying visit!
November 13, 2025 at 1:32 PM
@nicolawriting.bsky.social, on my way to Crediton for my talk with @guyshrubsole.bsky.social tonight, and thinking of you as we stop at Hungerford. Sadly no time to jump off and pay you a flying visit!
If you haven’t got your ticket yet, you still can: www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/cre...
November 13, 2025 at 11:11 AM
If you haven’t got your ticket yet, you still can: www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/cre...
Tonight’s the night— @guyshrubsole.bsky.social and I are at @thebookery.bsky.social! Last one in my Devon series, making bird place-name of the day 112: COCKWOOD. OE cocc + wudu. ‘Wood where woodcock are seen’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
November 13, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Tonight’s the night— @guyshrubsole.bsky.social and I are at @thebookery.bsky.social! Last one in my Devon series, making bird place-name of the day 112: COCKWOOD. OE cocc + wudu. ‘Wood where woodcock are seen’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
Continuing with the Devon series in the run up to my event on 13th @thebookery.bsky.social, bird place-name of the day 111 is: KITLEY. Old English: cyta + leah. ‘Kite woodland/clearing’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
November 11, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Continuing with the Devon series in the run up to my event on 13th @thebookery.bsky.social, bird place-name of the day 111 is: KITLEY. Old English: cyta + leah. ‘Kite woodland/clearing’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
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
November 9, 2025 at 5:34 PM
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
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
November 8, 2025 at 12:51 PM
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
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
November 7, 2025 at 4:58 PM
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
Still in Devon, bird place-name of the day 108 is KIGBEARE. OE ca + bearu. ‘Jackdaw wood’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
November 6, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Still in Devon, bird place-name of the day 108 is KIGBEARE. OE ca + bearu. ‘Jackdaw wood’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
Next in the Devon series, bird place-name of the day 107: DUNKESWELL. OE dunnoc + wella. ‘Dunnock’s spring’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
November 4, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Next in the Devon series, bird place-name of the day 107: DUNKESWELL. OE dunnoc + wella. ‘Dunnock’s spring’. #birdsandplace #naturewriting
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
November 3, 2025 at 10:03 PM
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
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
November 2, 2025 at 12:40 PM
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
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
November 2, 2025 at 12:32 PM
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
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
November 1, 2025 at 6:35 PM
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
Hear more at my event on 13th November.
October 31, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Hear more at my event on 13th November.
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
October 31, 2025 at 4:23 PM
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
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
October 30, 2025 at 11:04 PM
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
I’ll be chatting about the Exeter Book, as well as birds and bird places all over Devon: Exbourne, Owlacombe, Rockbeare, Yarnscombe … @thebookery.bsky.social @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social @exetercathedral.bsky.social #birdsandplace #naturewriting #authorevent
October 30, 2025 at 10:54 PM
I’ll be chatting about the Exeter Book, as well as birds and bird places all over Devon: Exbourne, Owlacombe, Rockbeare, Yarnscombe … @thebookery.bsky.social @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social @exetercathedral.bsky.social #birdsandplace #naturewriting #authorevent
On Thurs 13th Nov I’ll be chatting with @guyshrubsole.bsky.social about birds in Devon’s place-names, including the cuckoo. Did you know that the earliest written reference to a cuckoo (a riddle) is in a medieval manuscript that has been kept in Exeter for 1000 years? Come and find out more!
October 30, 2025 at 10:54 PM
On Thurs 13th Nov I’ll be chatting with @guyshrubsole.bsky.social about birds in Devon’s place-names, including the cuckoo. Did you know that the earliest written reference to a cuckoo (a riddle) is in a medieval manuscript that has been kept in Exeter for 1000 years? Come and find out more!
Just finished making a fire surround for our chimney breast.
October 30, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Just finished making a fire surround for our chimney breast.