The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Macdonald, Helen. Vesper Flights. First Grove Atlantic, 2020.

Helen Macdonald's Vesper Flights is a collection of 41 essays, exploring the relationship between animals and humans. The essays are written from Macdonald's first person vantage.

In "Introduction," Macdonald outlines her inspiration for writing the enclosed essays.

In "Nests," Macdonald describes her childhood nature collection. The only thing she did not like to take were eggs and nests, as the habit endangers birds.

In "Nothing Like a Pig," when Macdonald sees a boar in the woods, she considers the ways humans use animals as emblems. She tries seeing the boar for its true nature rather than its fabled reputation.

In "Inspector Calls," Macdonald shows her home to prospective new tenants, and watches their child communicate with her parrot.

In "Field Guides," Macdonald explores the history of modern field guides, beginning with those of her childhood.

In "Tekels Park," Macdonald describes her youthful adventures in the park near her childhood home. In the years since, the park's meadows have been destroyed. Macdonald mourns the loss of this terrain.

In "High-Rise," Macdonald visits the Empire State Building to watch bird migrations. Though such skyscrapers allow her to view the birds, they also intrude on avian flight.

In "The Human Flock," Macdonald visits Hungary to see pygmy cormorants. Once Macdonald starts thinking of the flocks as individual members of a family rather than confusing geometries, she appreciates them better.

In "The Student's Tale," Macdonald interviews a student refugee. The conversation teaches her about waiting, and the human fear of powerlessness.

In "Ants," Macdonald's encounter with a column of flying ants makes her reflect on her insignificance in the context of the vast natural world.

In "Symptomatic," Macdonald compares her history of migraines to the climate crisis. She encourages her reader to stop thinking apocalyptically and to believe in the possibility of reversing the climate crisis.

In "Sex, Death, Mushrooms," Macdonald hunts for mushrooms with her friend. The experience makes her realize that not all of nature is knowable.

In "Winter Woods," Macdonald's winter walks in the woods make her contemplate the rich history of forests.

In "Eclipse,” Macdonald’s experiences witnessing eclipses teaches her about the unifying power of nature.

In "In Her Orbit," Macdonald travels to Chile with explorer and geologist Nathalie Cabrol. Together the women hunt for new living organisms in barren terrains. Cabrol's story inspires Macdonald's reflections on life and death.

In "Hares," Macdonald sees a hare in her hometown, believing it is a sign of spring. She wonders what will happen when such creatures no longer exist.

In "Lost, But Catching Up," Macdonald watches a lone hound on the anniversary of her father's death. Its purity grants her peace.

In "Swan Upping," a few days after Brexit, Macdonald considers Britain's cultural obsession with swans.

In "Nestboxes," Macdonald argues that birdhouses allow individuals an easy way of appreciating nature.

In "Deer in the Headlights," Macdonald explains her aversion to researching deer. After studying deer-vehicle collision, or DVC, statistics, her attitude changes.

In "The Falcon and the Tower," Macdonald visits Dublin's Poolbeg Power Station to see the peregrine falcons nesting on the station's towers. The experience makes her consider the intersection of industry and nature.

In "Vesper Flights," Macdonald describes the lives and habits of swifts. Her encounters with the mysterious birds make her realize the importance of appreciating life.

In "In Spight of Prisons," Macdonald describes how glow-worms inspire contemporary human connection with nature.

In "Sun Birds and Cashmere Spheres," Macdonald describes the first time she saw orioles.

In "The Observatory," Macdonald visits the Welney Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve. While here she considers the history of the observatory, and the swan’s national significance.

In "Wicken," Macdonald visits Wicken Fen. This last remaining fragment of a lost marshland ecosystem makes Macdonald realize how much of the terrain has been lost.

In "Storm," thunderstorms teach Macdonald about human powerlessness, and the importance of waiting.

In "Murmurations," while Macdonald waits at the passport office, she considers the flight patterns of birds, and the human desire for freedom.

In "A Cuckoo in the House," Macdonald discusses Maxwell Knight's book about living with a cuckoo. Knight's experience with the bird proves the human tendency to believe animals reflect the human experience.

In "The Arrow-Stork," Macdonald interrogates her obsession with watching birds' migrations online. She realizes the radar can never capture the birds' mysterious journeys.

In "Ashes," Macdonald examines the relationship between globalization and tree blights.

In "A Handful of Corn," Macdonald uses her childhood observations of neighborly badgers to consider the social structures of humans and animals.

In "Berries," as Macdonald prepares for Christmas, she considers the ways humans abuse nature for selfish reasons.

In "Cherry Stones," Macdonald parallels the arrival of hawfinches in Britain to that of immigrants and refugees seeking safety and shelter.

In "Birds, Tabled," Macdonald's experiences at the Bird Fair and the Bird Show inspire her examination of history, power, and class.

In "Hiding," Macdonald describes the hobby and culture of watching animals in wildlife hide.

In "Eulogy," Macdonald remembers her late friend Stu. Stu's love for nature, and his peace upon dying, grants Macdonald a sense of peace.

In "Rescue," Macdonald discusses her friend Judith's work as a rehabber. Work like Judith's is a way of amending human violence against the planet.

In "Goats," Macdonald remembers her childhood habit of pushing goats.

In "Dispatches from the Valleys," Macdonald recounts her time working on a falcon farm in rural Wales. The experience taught her about survival, instinct, and freedom.

In "The Numinous Ordinary," Macdonald uses musical references to examine her encounters with the divine.

In "What Animals Taught Me," Macdonald traces her evolved understanding of animals from childhood through adulthood.