The RSPB's Book of the Season The distinctive white-tailed sea eagle was driven to extinction in Britain more than 200 years ago, but this immense predator is making a return to our skies, thanks to Roy Dennis, an ornithologist, conservationist and arguably the driving force behind the UK's reintroduction agenda.
Published to tie in with a BBC television series, this book, divided into four sections to reflect the seasons of the year, depicts the changing moods, flora and fauna of a Highland loch. In spring, as the ice thaws and the days lengthen, we see a colourful revival: displays of golden-eye ducks, frogs and toads mating, newts re-emerging, trees flowering. The summer section gives an insight into the life and nesting habits of ospreys in some of the most picturesque parts of Scotland. Autumn brings a slowing-down of activity, with pied wagtails roosting in the reed beds before leaving for England and Africa. And finally the winter section shows how the Highland birds and animals survive the short days and bitter cold, and features wild fowl, waders and goosanders displaying at dusk.The author was an RSPB warden for many years in the Highlands and was responsible for reintroducing the sea-eagle and red kite to Scotland. His previous books include Puffins, Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons and Divers.
Peregrine falcons are supreme hunters of the skies. Powerful and charismatic, they are renowned for their dramatic ability to intercept their prey in mid-air, attacking in a near vertical plunge which can reach up to 200 mph.Peregrines live in nearly every part of the world and their name means wanderer. Despite a long and close relationship with man, persecution and the onslaught of pesticides in the 1950s brought them close to extinction. However, legal protection and the banning of pesticides has led to a steady increase in their populations in many areas.Once again these noble birds have begun to command our skies, a triumph for a superb predator and a remarkable demonstration of nature's stubborn resistance to persecution and pollution