Download or read book The Hen Harrier s Year written by Ian Carter and published by Pelagic Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2022-10-11 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most British birds of prey have largely recovered from historical persecution, but the beleaguered Hen Harrier is still struggling and remains far less common than it should be. This is a particular shame, because it is one of our most inspiring raptors. Spectacular sky-dancing displays and balletic food passes from male to female brighten up the moors in summer. And in winter, communal roosts in the lowlands attract birders from far and wide to catch sight of this now-elusive species. This book follows the Hen Harrier over a year: from rearing young hidden away in dense heather, to the fight for survival in the harshest months of winter. Interspersed among the monthly accounts are chapters on the history and status of this iconic bird, as well as an overview of one of the most intractable conflicts in modern conservation: the Hen Harrier’s liking for grouse moors (and the Red Grouse that live there) wins it few friends among shooters, and ongoing persecution continues to hamper its recovery. There are tentative signs of progress, but its fate as a breeding bird in England hangs in the balance. Evocative illustrations, in part based on privileged access to the handful of breeding birds that remain on England’s moors, showcase the Hen Harrier’s exploits through the seasons. These will delight admirers of this species and hopefully foster a greater interest in its wellbeing. The Hen Harrier needs all the help it can get.
Download or read book The Hen Harrier written by Donald Watson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-07-13 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An acknowledged classic of narrative nature-writing, Donald Watson's The Hen Harrier was the culmination of a lifetime's study of this beautiful upland bird. A gentle, warm and wonderfully written book, The Hen Harrier stems from an age of 'amateur' conservation, from the pen of a man who cared deeply about birds and their habitats, especially of the Scottish borders where he conducted much of his research and painting. The book was among the last of a dying breed; it would be thirty years or more before writing on our natural history would again reach the heights of accessibility to nature-lovers exemplified by Donald Watson and his peers. The book starts with Watson setting down more or less everything known about harriers – which at that time often consisted of information sent by letter to the author, rather than published in a journal – before moving on to the story of Watson's years studying nests in the south-west of Scotland. With a foreword by conservation champion Mark Avery, this edition of Watson's greatest work is particularly timely. The conflict between grouse-shooting interests, which has overseen the virtual extinction of the harrier as a breeding bird in England through illegal persecution, and an increasingly vocal conservationist lobby is the number one conservation issue in Britain today. Donald Watson's narrative soars like a sky-dancing harrier throughout this book. Read it, and be taken back to a simpler age of nature conservation by a true master of the art.
Download or read book Hen Harrier written by Gerold Dobler and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Inglorious written by Mark Avery and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2015-07-30 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ONE OF 2015'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES AND THE MAIL ON SUNDAY. A hard-hitting, passionate and well-researched book about the conflict between driven grouse shooting and nature conservation in Britain, with a foreword by Chris Packham. Driven grouse shooting, where flocks of Red Grouse are chased by lines of beaters so that they fly over lines of 'guns' that shoot the fast-flying birds, is a peculiarly British fieldsport. It is also peculiarly British in that it is deeply rooted in the British class system. This multi-million pound business dominates the hills of the north of England – the Pennines, the North Yorkshire Moors, the Cheviots – and throughout Scotland. Grouse shooting is big business. VERY big business And backed by powerful, wealthy lobbying groups, its tendrils run throughout British society. Inglorious makes the case for banning driven grouse shooting. The facts and arguments are presented fairly but the author, Mark Avery, states from the start why he has, after many years of soul-searching, come down in favour of an outright ban. There is too much illegal killing of wildlife, such as Buzzards, Golden Eagles, and, most egregiously of all, Hen Harriers; and, as a land use, it wrecks the ecology of the hills. However, grouse shooting is economically important, and it is a great British tradition. All of these, and other points of view, are given fair and detailed treatment and analysis – and the author talks to a range of people on different sides of the debate. The book also sets out Avery's campaign with Chris Packham to gain support for the proposal to ban grouse shooting, culminating in 'Hen Harrier Day', timed to coincide with the 'Glorious' 12th. This new paperback edition includes new material on what went on in 2015, including the devastating floods of that winter, bringing the story right up to date. Mark Avery continues to stir up a debate about fieldsports, the countryside and big business in a book that all British conservationists will want to read.
Download or read book Raptors written by and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Harriers of the World written by Robert E. Simmons and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2000 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Harriers are a charismatic group of birds of prey with a worldwide distribution that have long fascinated bird watchers and scientists. Here for the first time the biology of the world's harriers is treated within one over, in readily accessible language. There are detailed comparisons of northern and southern species, descriptions of mating systems and population dynamics life histories, and insights into the selection pressures shaping the birds' life histories. The author addresses such questions as how females choose partners against their apparent self- interest, how they adjust to prevailing circumstances to produce the perfect clutch size, and what underlies variations in size dimorphism and copulation patterns. New information resulting from a DNA examination of the group reveals three new harrier species and allows construction of a new phylogeny of the harriers. The author's twin brother brings the book to life by fine original line drawings of these impressive birds. It will be a treat for all raptor biologists, amateur raptophiles, and behavioral ecologists interested in birds of prey.
Download or read book Fighting for Birds written by Dr. Mark Avery and published by Pelagic Publishing. This book was released on 2012-07-02 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Devoted to birds and wildlife since childhood, Mark’s early scientific research at Oxford, Aberdeen and the RSPB provided a solid background for his management, ambassadorial, and political lobbying activities which were to follow – and his larger than life, yet quietly humane personality has provided the final tools in his own, unique, nature conservationists’ toolbox. In this book, Mark mixes a great many stories from his professional life at the RSPB with personal anecdotes and passionate arguments on past and present issues in bird and nature conservation. He shows us something of the many scientists whose work paves the way for conservation action, places domestic conservation into an international context, takes us behind the scenes to glimpse the politicians who have worked with him, or against him, along the way. Mark leaves us armed with practical tips and a guiding philosophy to take wildlife conservation though the troubled years that lie ahead. A personal, philosophical and political history of 25 years of bird conservation, this book provides an instructive and amusing read for all those who would like a glimpse into the birds and wildlife conservation world – what the issues are, what must be done, how it can be done, and the challenges, highs and lows involved.
Download or read book A Sparrowhawk s Lament written by David Cobham and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-05 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Britain is home to fifteen species of breeding birds of prey, from the hedgerow-hopping Sparrowhawk to the breathtaking White-tailed Eagle. In this handsomely illustrated book, acclaimed British filmmaker and naturalist David Cobham offers unique and deeply personal insights into Britain's birds of prey and how they are faring today. He delves into the history of these magnificent birds and talks in depth with the scientists and conservationists who are striving to safeguard them. In doing so, he profiles the writers, poets and filmmakers who have done so much to change the public's perception of birds of prey. There are success stories—five birds of prey that were extinct have become reestablished with viable populations—but persecution is still rife. Featuring drawings by famed wildlife artist Bruce Pearson, this book reveals why we must cherish and celebrate our birds of prey, and why we neglect them at our peril.
Download or read book Bowland Beth The Life of an English Hen Harrier written by David Cobham and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2017-08-10 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘An outstanding book’ Spectator The story of the short life and tragic death of Bowland Beth – an English Hen Harrier – which dramatically highlights the major issues in UK conservation.
Download or read book Sky Dancer written by Gill Lewis and published by Oxford University Press - Children. This book was released on 2017-10-05 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joe has always loved the moorlands above his home: the wildness, the freedom, the peace. But since his father died, everything has changed, and the moors are no longer a place of refuge. Now the whole community is divided over the fate of the hen harriers that nest up there in the heather - and Joe is stuck right in the middle, with a choice to make, and a huge secret to keep. Joe can't do what's right for everyone. But can he find the strength to fight for what he really believes in? Expert storyteller Gill Lewis presents a beautiful tale of loss, expectation, and change - with an important and thought-provoking environmental message.
Download or read book Birds in Wales written by Roger Lovegrove and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2010-10-30 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume sets out for the first time the historical and current status of all the bird species found in Wales together with their present distribution. The rugged countryside of Wales has long been a destination for successive generations of naturalists, ornithologists, oologists and, latterly, birdwatchers. Since the pioneering days of Willoughby and Ray, Pennant and Edward Llwyd, a growing number of intrepid travellers have recorded the wildlife and other natural riches of the mountains and coastlines of Wales. Despite these beginnings and the more recent twentieth century vogue for birdwatching, no volume on the birds of Wales has been produced until now to serve the increasing need for scientifically valid information for conservation purposes. In the years that have passed since the first naturalists visited Wales, changes of unimaginable scale have taken place in the Welsh countryside which have had equally dramatic impacts on the native bird communities. A succession of bird species have either been eliminated deliberately by the hand of man - mainly birds of prey - or have been dispossessed by changes in land use, the spread of industrialisation, urbanisation and pollution, trends which continue today to the increasing detriment of even some of our most familiar countryside birds. Much fine habitat remains however, and new species have come in to colonise Wales and add to the magic of its countryside. The three authors, all staff of the RSPB in Wales, have between them an accumulated experience of some 80 years of first-hand knowledge of birds in the Principality. Their knowledge and love of the birds and Wales itself makes this authoritative volume a landmark both in Welsh and ornithological publishing.
Download or read book The Birds of the Iberian Peninsula written by Eduardo de Juana and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2015-02-26 with total page 721 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This authoritative title is the definitive avifauna covering the Iberian Peninsula. The Iberian Peninsula is one of Europe's most ornithologically varied regions offering a host of regional specialities. It includes famous birding hotspots such as the Coto Donaña wetlands, mountainous areas such as the Picos de Europa and the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean cork and holm oak forests of the southwest, the migration crossroads of the Strait of Gibraltar and the steppe-like plains of Extremadura and Alentejo. Large numbers of birders from around Europe visit the region to see this wealth of winged wildlife, but to date there has been no comprehensive regional avifauna in English. Birds of the Iberian Peninsula is a national avifauna that fills this gap in the ornithological literature. Full-colour throughout, the book begins with authoritative introductory chapters covering subjects such as geography, climate, habitats, the history of Iberian ornithology and the composition of the avifauna. The species accounts then cover every species recorded in mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra, including the many vagrants. For each species there is detailed treatment of distribution – with maps of breeding and wintering ranges – habitat selection, population trends, historical and current status, migration and conservation.
Download or read book Hen Harrier Poems written by Colin SIMMs and published by . This book was released on 2015-04-17 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hen Harrier Poems is Colin Simms' fifth collection with Shearsman, and his third devoted to poems on a specific species, following Otters and Martens (2004) and Gyrfalcon Poems (2007). Future plans include volume devoted to poems on merlins and on goshawks. Simms is a naturalist who has observed the harrier and its North American cousin, the marsh hawk, for decades; his poems fuse a rich Bunting-esque diction and sonority with a focused eye and imagination.
Download or read book Birds of Prey and Red Grouse written by Steve M. Redpath and published by Stationery Office Books (TSO). This book was released on 1997 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The relationship between birds of prey and red grouse, the former of conservaton interest and the latter of economic importance, is central to the management of many upland estates. This text describes the results of a study which examined the impact of raptor predation on red grouse numbers. The study was based at Langholm, south-west Scotland, but was extended in part to five other moors elsewhere in Scotland.
Download or read book Silent Fields written by Roger Lovegrove and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008-09-18 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since time immemorial mankind has taken it upon himself to wage war against nature -- against those species of birds and mammals which he believes conflict with his livelihood. This remarkable book documents the history of that battle in England and Wales from the Middle Ages, shedding a new light on the history of our much-loved wildlife.
Download or read book Birds of Northumberland and the Eastern Borders written by George Bolam and published by . This book was released on 1912 with total page 816 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Zoologist written by and published by . This book was released on 1908 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
