LEIGHTON MOSS: ICE AGE TO THE PRESENT DAY by Andy Denwood, £7.99

ISBN 978-1-8741-8198-9

LEIGHTON Moss is, without doubt, an amazing wildlife oasis. Each year, tens of thousands of visitors are drawn to the rare habitat to catch glimpses of bearded tits, marsh harriers, elusive otters or secretive bitterns.

It was not always thus. In the nineteenth century, the wetland was drained so 400 acres of cereal crops could be grown.

In this fascinating book, Andy Denwood takes us back 6,000 years to when the remarkable reedbed was first formed. He tells the story of its evolution, including how it was restored to its natural glory after the Great War to become of the most celebrated nature reserves in England.

The foreword to the book is written by TV naturalist Chris Packham, who will return to Leighton Moss next month to co-present BBC's Autumnwatch from the reserve.

ALLAN TUNNINGLEY