Download or read book The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1875 1900 written by Simon Holloway and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2010-01-31 with total page 867 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The landscape of Britain has been irreversibly changed over the last century. Modern agriculture, urban expansion, industry and transport have all left their mark, altering the face of the countryside forever. Shifting with the changing scene, the fortunes of Britain and Ireland's bird populations have fluctuated dramatically over the years. As current farming practices have evolved, the natural habitats and breeding patterns of many species have been disrupted. Urban and industrial growth has brought with it the pressures of new land use, pesticides, pollution and human interference. The activities of sportsmen, collectors and farmers have also taken their toll over the years. The new Poyser title The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1875-1900 is a fascinating book resulting form years of meticulous research by the author, Simon Holloway, who provides an absorbing account of the distribution changes of Britain and Ireland's birds over the last quarter of a century. Large colour distribution maps and their accompanying text paint a species-by-species picture of a period which completely transformed the landscape of this country. It is, says Natural World magazine, "a classic case of 'why did no one write this book before?'...The experienced birder, using a knowledge of species requirements, can only marvel at what the long-vanished landscapes were then like." Birdwatch praises Simon Holloway's achievement, saying: "This book brings together so much information from disparate sources, and its status maps present such a clear picture of our late Victorian avifauna, that it should take its place beside the BTO atlases on the bookshelf." While Birdwatching adds: "If you are interested in the historical side of birds and their populations this book will be an endless source of fascination." As with all Poyser publications, the attention to detail, the lovingly produced illustrations and the sheer breadth of knowledge demonstrated by the autho

Download or read book Birds in England written by Andy Brown and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2010-06-30 with total page 1370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Poyser avifaunas Birds in Scotland, Birds in Ireland and Birds in Wales are all now regarded as classic works. The series is now completed with Birds in England, an avifauna for England's diverse birdlife, past and present. England marks the northwestern limit for many Palearctic breeding birds, and is close to the southwestern limit for several others - in particular, several seabird species whose English colonies are of international significance. It is the first point of arrival for new colonists from the south - Little Egret and Yellow-legged Gull are two recent arrivals - and it is also of international importance for wintering and passage populations of various species which breed in the far north of the Palearctic. A diverse and fascinating avifauna is augmented by visits from an impressive range of rarities from as far afield as Siberia and Canada - Nearctic vagrants in particular are well-represented on the English list. This important new avifauna looks in detail at England and its birds, analysing present and historical data to present a complete picture of the status, range and abundance of every bird on the English list.

Download or read book Birds of Essex written by Simon Wood and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an essential reference for anybody who has watched birds in this amazing county. The County Avifaunas give full details of the status and range of every species recorded in the county in question. Each title covers all species on the county list, with a detailed breakdown of rarity records, and each has introductory sections describing the county's general ecology, climate, weather patterns, its ornithological history and conservation record. Essex is of national and international importance to many migrating and wintering wildfowl and waders, which can be found on the estuaries. Further inland, the Lea Valley harbours important populations of several species within the complex of reservoirs and gravel-pits. Elsewhere, the diverse habits of woodland and parkland, heaths and commons, agricultural land and urban areas mean that at all times of year there is the opportunity to see upwards of 100 species in a day with little effort. This book analyses and summarises all the data collated and documented over the last 200 years and includes available records to the end of 2004. Introductory chapters discuss the geology and habitats of Essex and the amazing fossil bird record. The individual accounts provide an up-to-date status of each species and patterns of occurrence within Essex. A distribution map is included for most breeding species. A breakdown and analysis are provided for all county rarities. Superb line drawings and photographs illustrate the book, all by talented local artists and photographers.

Download or read book The Changing Wildlife of Great Britain and Ireland written by David L. Hawksworth and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2003-06-26 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Periodic comprehensive overviews of the status of the diverse organisms that make up wildlife are essential to determining trends, threats and future prospects. Just over 25 years ago, leading authorities on different kinds of wildlife came together to prepare an assessment of their status of a wide range of organisms in Great Britain and Ireland i

Download or read book Cuckoos Cowbirds and Other Cheats written by Nick Davies and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2010-09-30 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating study describes the natural histories of these brood parasites and examines many of the exciting questions they raise about the evolution of cheating and the arms race between parasites and their prey. Brood parasites fill their armoury with adaptations including exquisite egg mimicry, rapid laying, ejection of host eggs, murder of host young, chick mimicry and manipulative begging behaviour: ploys shown by recent research to have evolved in response to host defence behaviour or through competition among the parasites themselves. While many host species appear defenceless, accepting parasite eggs quite unlike their own, many are more discriminating against odd-looking eggs and some have evolved the ability to discriminate against odd-looking chicks as well. How is this arms race conducted? Will defenceless hosts develop defences in time, or are there constraints which limit the evolution and perfection of host defences? And why are so few species obliged only to lay eggs in host nests? Have host defences limited the success of brood parasitism, or is it in fact much more common than we suspect, but occurring mainly when birds parasitize the nest of their own kind? All of these puzzles are examined in descriptions of the natural history of each of the groups of parasites in turn. Here is a book with wide appeal, both to amateur naturalists fascinated by this most singular and macabre of behaviours and by ornithologists and ecologists interested in the evolution of ecology and behaviour. The story takes us from the classic field work by pioneer ornithologists such as Edgar Chance, Stuart Baker, Herbert Friedmann and others, through to the experimental field work and molecular techniques of today's leading scientists. We visit brood parasites in Europe, Asia, Japan, Africa, Australasia, and North and South America, to look at some of the world's most interesting birds and some of biology's most interesting questions, many of which still beg answers from ornithologists in the future. Brilliant illustrations by David Quinn illuminate the species discussed, showing many behaviours never before illustrated and conveying the thrill of watching these astonishing birds in the wild.

Download or read book Silent Summer written by Norman Maclean and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-05-20 with total page 789 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Authoritative and easily accessible account of the wildlife of Britain and Ireland, what is declining, what is not, and why.

Download or read book The History of British Birds written by Derek Yalden and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An integration of ornithological and archaeological evidence on the history, composition and balance of the bird fauna of the British Isles. It provides essential background information for the debate on extinction, conservation and reintroduction.

Download or read book The Atlas of Early Modern Wildlife written by Lee Raye and published by Pelagic Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2023-07-18 with total page 766 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What was the state of wildlife in Britain and Ireland before modern records began? The Atlas of Early Modern Wildlife looks at the era before climate change, before the intensification of agriculture, before even the Industrial Revolution. In the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, beavers still swim in the River Ness. Isolated populations of wolves and lynxes linger in the uplands. Sea eagles are widespread around the coasts. Wildcats and pine martens remain common in the Lake District. In this ground-breaking volume, the observations of early modern amateur naturalists, travellers and local historians are gathered together for the very first time. Drawing on more than 10,000 records from across Britain and Ireland, the book presents maps and notes on the former distribution of over 160 species, providing a new baseline against which to discuss subsequent declines and extinctions, expansions and introductions. A guide to identification describes the reliable and unreliable names of each species, including the pre-Linnaean scientific nomenclature, as well as local names in early modern English and, where used in the sources, Irish, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish and Norn. Raising a good number of questions at the same time as it answers many others, this remarkable resource will be of great value to conservationists, archaeologists, historians and anyone with an interest in the natural heritage of Britain and Ireland.

Download or read book Back from the Edge The Fall Rise of Yorkshire s Wildlife written by Ian D. Rotherham and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2018-11 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We show here how, through the efforts of a range of governmental and non-governmental organisations, habitats and species are now being managed to preserve our biodiversity for the future. In this period of rapid environmental change and ever increasing human impact, the success of such conservation initiatives has never been more vital. Over the past half-century there have been many changes in the Yorkshire countryside. Deciduous woodlands have been felled and replaced by conifer plantations; wetlands and ponds have been drained; grasslands have been reseeded, and arable fields have been intensively farmed. Our river systems and coastline have also been subjected to increasing pressure and pollution. All these changes have had dramatic effects on YorkshireÕs semi-natural habitats and their associated wildlife. Added to these effects, our climate is altering more rapidly than at any time in the last 10,000 years, leading to further challenges for plants and animals.

Download or read book The Mandarin Duck written by Christopher Lever and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-02-28 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Mandarin Duck, one of the largest and best-studied is in southern England. The Mandarin Duck is a small and (in the case of the males) spectacularly colourful species of waterfowl. Widely kept in aviaries around the world, populations often escaped to form wild colonies. Although declining and nowadays surprisingly hard to find, Britain's wild Mandarin population is probably more numerous than that of the duck's true home, China and the Russian Far East, where it is now endangered. This Poyser monograph is a detailed account of this beautiful duck's lifestyle and biology, with particular emphasis on invasive populations in Britain and overseas. It is a superb addition to the long-running and acclaimed Poyser series.

Download or read book Rethinking Risk and the Precautionary Principle written by Julian Morris and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2000-09-19 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rethinking Risk and the Precautionary Principle challenges the claim that the precautionary principle is an appropriate guide to public policy decision-making in the face of uncertainty. The precautionary principle is frequently invoked as a justification for regulating human activities. From bans on the use of growth hormones in cattle to restrictions on children's playground activities, precautionary thinking seems to be taking over our lives. As the contributors to this book show, such an approach is of dubious utility and may even be counterproductive. This is a timely and important contribution to the debate on how to manage risk in the modern world. The editor, Julian Morris, is Director of the Environment and Technology Programme at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London. He has written widely on issues relating to environmental protection and technological development. Up to date discussion of current issues and scientific controversies Challenges the claim that the 'precautionary principle' is an appropriate guide to public policy decisions

Download or read book The Birds of Nottinghamshire written by Nick Crouch and published by . This book was released on 2020-03-02 with total page 609 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last comprehensive review of Nottinghamshire's birds was produced more than four decades ago. Much has changed since then, and a new avifauna is long overdue. This book draws together historic reports from the nineteenth century, records from the files of the county bird club (Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers), and data from national and regional surveys and monitoring programmes. The resulting account presents an overview of the present state of the county's birdlife, set against a context of environmental and climatic change. The gravel pits in the Trent and Idle Valleys form major corridors for birds moving across Britain and Nottinghamshire has attracted more than its share of national rarities. These include Britain's first Egyptian Nightjar and Lesser Yellowlegs in the nineteenth century, Bufflehead, Redhead, Cedar Waxwing and breeding Black-winged Stilts in the twentieth century, and a memorable nesting attempt by European Bee-eaters in 2017. The woods and heaths of Sherwood lying in the middle of the county also provide a haven for an array of iconic species including European Nightjar, Eurasian Woodcock, Honeybuzzard and Hawfinch. This book describes the past and present status of the 334 species that have been recorded in Nottinghamshire up to 2018. Lavishly illustrated with photographs taken within the county, and sketches from the internationally recognised artist Michael Warren, it is intended to be an authoritative reference to the birds of Nottinghamshire.

Download or read book The Tawny Owl written by Jeff Martin and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-09-29 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Jeff Martin explores the Tawny Owl's natural history in the greatest detail. Where controversy has arisen in the literature, he has put forward all points of view so the reader can make his or her own judgements. There seems nothing concerning the biology of this owl that Jeff has not researched.' - Derek Bunn, author of The Barn Owl The haunting calls of the Tawny Owl can be heard from Scandinavia in the north of its range to North Africa in the south. Most people would consider it to be a common and widespread species throughout Europe, but populations in Britain at least are declining, and we need to understand more about the behaviour and ecology of this magnificent woodland bird if its future is to be secured. Jeff Martin has been studying owls for decades, and in this timely book he combines his personal observations together with those of other ornithologists and a comprehensive review of the literature, resulting in some surprising revelations. It was not long ago, for example, that the Tawny Owl was considered to be one of the most nocturnal of all owl species, but in recent years it has been observed sunbathing, calling and even hunting in broad daylight. The Tawny Owl begins by exploring the research that has been undertaken over the last two centuries, and the gaps that remain in our knowledge. Subsequent chapters detail the evolution and classification of this relatively young species, its status and distribution across Europe, its feeding, breeding and behavioural ecology, why numbers are falling, and what we can do about it. Interestingly, this silent hunter appears to be increasingly preying on passerine birds, as forest degradation and destruction have had a negative impact on small mammal numbers. The book concludes by looking at the role that Tawny Owls have played in British culture, and whether the changes in behaviour and plumage among the British population could mean we have a new subspecies evolving on our island.

Download or read book The Lapwing written by Michael Shrubb and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed, authoritative yet highly readable monograph on one of Britain's best-loved farmland birds, the Lapwing. With its striking green-black and white plumage and distinctive pee-wit call, the Lapwing is one of Britain's best-known birds. Lapwings depend on agricultural land to breed and are considered a barometer of the health of this habitat; the population has crashed over recent decades, partly due to changes in farming practices. In winter, Lapwings switch to coastal areas and to wetlands, including those in suburban areas, where large, noisy flocks can gather. Michael Shrubb's The Lapwing is a thorough review of Lapwing biology contains sections on population dynamics, feeding ecology, habitat use, migration, and conservation; there is an impressively detailed review of our current understanding of breeding biology, plus discussion of some other species in the genus. The Lapwing is a superb addition to the Poyser list. Of interest to both amateur naturalists, who will enjoy insights into the birds' lives, and to academics, who will appreciate the broad overview of current research, this title will remain the definitive work on the species for many years to come.

Download or read book Feasting Fowling and Feathers written by Michael Shrubb and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-09-26 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A highly readable review of some 700 years of avian exploitation. The way wild birds have been exploited over the centuries forms the focus of this remarkable new book by Michael Shrubb. It looks at the use of birds as food, for feathers and skins, for eggs, as cage birds, as specimens and for hunting, focusing on Britain, northern Europe and the North Atlantic. Never before has a book brought the huge amount of information on these topics in the academic literature together under one cover. Introductory chapters on what was taken, when, why and its impact are followed by a number of sections looking in detail at important bird groups. Along with discussions of broader themes of exploitation, the book is packed with amazing facts. For example, we learn: - why Grey Herons were so important in medieval falconry - why the Black Death was good news for bustards - why Napoleon is to blame for the scarcity of Quail in Britain today - when tame plover stew was all the rage The book concludes with discussions of the cage bird and plumage trades, both now consigned to the annals of history, in Britain at any rate. As well as summarising and condensing the material into a readable and entertaining account, Shrubb goes back to the original sources. This has allowed him to shed new and surprising light on the biogeography of a number of British birds.

Download or read book Bird Census Techniques written by Colin J. Bibby and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2000-08-15 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book there are entire chapters devoted to the most widely used bird counting techniques, and attempts to amalgamate other counting methodologies into major groups were made. Examples of the use of methods are provided wherever possible and the relative value of various approaches for answering specific questions is also addressed. A newly revised edition of the immensely successful Bird Census Techniques An entirely new chapter covering the census methods recommended for tropical habitats Provides a concise guide to various census techniques and their opportunities and pitfalls

Download or read book The Future of the Red legged Partridge written by Fabián Casas and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-09-01 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There has been a recent upsurge of red-legged partridge research in most countries where the species is distributed, but no comprehensive review of that fresh and relevant multidisciplinary and international knowledge is available. In fact, this is probably the first scientific book on this important species, apart from Dick Potts’ excellent works on British-introduced population, or ONCFS’s (Office Nationale de la Chasse et le Faune Sauvage, France) older technical reports. This is in strong contrast with a plethora of literature in hunting magazines or non-academic books, not often precise, realistic, or well informed. Thus, the book fills a great bibliography gap that could have important social impact. The common thread of the book is the prominent role a species like this may play for research, from basic physiological or ecological knowledge to socio-economics of hunting and the rural world. The general framework of the book [I1] is the important role that hunting and game management may play in both rural economies and biodiversity conservation, with the partridge as flag species, and also in identifying the “dark drift” that industrial, incorrectly deployed management, or hunting vision may have on both sustainability of resources and nature conservation at large. The final aim of the book is identifying the best future scenario, both for partridge hunters and managers as well as the general public.