Ospreys

This book shows us why.

A highly readable Poyser monograph on one of the most widespread raptors. The Osprey is a large, fish-eating bird of prey. Distinctively marked in deep brown and white, with a piercing yellow eye and powerful hooked bill, the Osprey snatches its prey in spectacular swoops above lakes and wetlands around the world – it is one of the most widespread of all birds. Persecuted mercilessly in Britain, it became extinct in the 1890s before returning to the famous Loch Garten in Scotland in the 1950s. The return of the bird has been slow, but reintroduction programmes elsewhere – notably at Rutland Water – have been successful, and this remarkable raptor is an increasingly common sight in our skies. This Poyser monograph is dedicated to this fine species and includes more than 150 colour photographs. The Osprey looks at the distribution, foraging ecology, migration, breeding behaviour and population dynamics of this spectacular bird, with emphasis placed on conservation efforts both in Britain and in the species' African haunts, which have been discovered only very recently thanks to advances in satellite tagging technology.

"A stunning addition to the Scientists in the Field series that explores mercury pollution found in the rivers and streams of Western Montana that might cause harm to humans--and the extinction of the entire osprey species."--

The Osprey--Pandion haliaetus--is also known as the Fish Hawk, but that simple label does not do this magnificent bird justice. The Osprey is a master angler whose fish catching skills are unparalleled. There is no other living creature on this planet that comes hurtling out of the sky at speeds exceeding fifty miles an hour, dives feet first into the water, and somehow resurfaces with a fish clutched tightly in its talons. A true apex predator in a league of its own, being on top presents its own unique set of challenges that must be faced and overcome on a daily basis.