Clive Finlayson, a native of the Rock and a trained ornithologist, presents a fascinating account of this region and its resident and transitory bird life. The Strait of Gibraltar is famous as a major point of passage for Palaearctic birds migrating between their European breeding grounds and their winter quarters in Africa. The first chapter of the book describes the area, which broadly defined includes the Coto Donana in the north and the Merja Zerga in the south, and the geographic and climatological characteristics which make it a suitable crossing place. In scope this book goes beyond the strict definition of the Strait and, following Irby's 19th Century work, examines the rich area where Europe meets Africa. The chapters which follow describe in detail the migration patterns of the principal passage species including their origins, destinations and overall numbers, showing how the precise conditions of weather and visibility affect the specific choice of route and timing of the crossing. The breeding and wintering bird communities are then considered and the ornithology of the entire region summarized. Whether or not you have ever witnessed the thousands of raptors, storks and other birds that may make this legendary crossing in a single day, this book will conjure the spirit of this extraordinary place. Delightful illustrations by lan Willis complete an important and entertaining book.

An authoritative guide to birds of the UK Overseas Territories. The UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are scattered across the globe. Most are small islands or island complexes, occurring from the Caribbean to the furthest reaches of the South Atlantic, via the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In terms of global biodiversity, these territories are remarkably significant. Among landscapes that range from coral atolls, through mangroves and dry forests to the ice sheets of Antarctica, the UKOTs support no fewer than 45 species of birds currently considered to be globally threatened. They are also home to a third of all the world's breeding albatrosses, and nine of the world's 17 species of penguin. In a rapidly changing world, the UKOTs symbolise global crises in climate and biodiversity. Threats faced by their wildlife range from mortality of seabirds at sea through industrial fisheries, and on land as a result of introduced ground predators, to the utter devastation of hurricanes in the Caribbean, which provide a stark reminder of our changing climate. The human impact on the wildlife of our planet has been increasing for centuries, but the next few decades promise to be critical. This book, illustrated with maps and colour photos, explores the birds and other wildlife of each of the 14 UKOTs, with a particular focus on environmental threats and conservation priorities. Written by authors with a deep connection to the sites, this book represents an important stocktake of the biological richness of these special places in the early 21st century.

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.

Southern Iberia is in the top rank of European birding hotspots, and the fourth edition of this popular book, first published in 1994, continues to ensure that visitors can make the most of the region's many attractions. The information on all sites has been brought right up-to-date, with revised maps and full updated site access details and species lists. Popular localities such as Doñana, Monfragüe and the Strait of Gibraltar get prominent treatment, but the reader is encouraged to wander further afield to visit other, less well-known but equally rewarding sites, including a number of additional localities that are new to this edition. This new edition is indispensable for all birders visiting this remarkable corner of Spain.

This book is the ultimate flight-identification guide for the raptors of the Western Palaearctic, covering Europe, North Africa, the Middle East (including Arabia) to Central Asia. Raptors are notoriously hard to identify, even if seen well, and represent perhaps the toughest of all ID challenges for birders. This guide provides identification information for all 60 species that regularly occur in the region, to subspecific level. The text covers every plumage and age in detail, with each species account accompanied by a range of photographs covering all the principal plumages. Based on this stunning photographic coverage, most of which has never been published before, this book represents a landmark in bird identification books and a major work for all raptor enthusiasts.

If it is true that science proceeds from a romantic through a scientific to a technological stage, then research on bird orientation is certainly on its move from its first to its second grade, and recent developments in radiotelemetry and satellite tracking of migrating birds might already indicate the advent of the third stage. At this juncture, Orientation in Birds is a timely account. Even though the study of animal migration in general, and bird navigation in particular, has produced a literature of impressive proportions, the threads provided by the plethora of research papers, review articles and symposiums volumes have not yet been knitted into a theoretical fabric. This is partly due to our still incomplete understanding of fundamen tal topics in avian navigation. The answer to the most intriguing question of how a bird displaced to "unknown" territory finds its way back home is as obscure now as it was a few decades ago. Whether and how birds solve this problem by using far ranging grid-maps or more local familiar-area maps, as has been proposed off and on, is still a matter of heated debates. These debates frequently center around provocative hypotheses - let alone the question about the physical (topographic, magnetic, infrasonic, olfactory) parameters which might constitute such maps.

Given their roles in the ecosystem, raptors are widely considered the flagship or umbrella species among birds. Most species undertake a seasonal journey that is impressive because of the length, and the imposing natural barriers such as deserts and seas that they fly over. The migration of birds of prey has unique characteristics in the animal world because of their morphology and flight style. The flying path of Afro-Palearctic migrants between breeding and wintering grounds is determined by several factors such as morphology of the birds, geography, behavioural adaptations. The book analyses the migration patterns of raptors along the Afro-Palearctic migratory system, and summarizes the recent research on these top predator species. Behavioural adaptations such as the importance of social interactions and the modulation of the different flight styles as well as ecological interactions with the encountered environment and weather conditions en route are described in the book. Moreover, the impact of climate change on the migratory behaviour and key conservation issues are discussed. The book provides an overview of the migratory characteristics and flyway patterns of all European raptors species and also some Asian ones. These chapters have been written by some of the most important raptor specialists, giving a complete picture of the different migration strategies on the basis of both traditional methods and new technologies.

The Migration Ecology of Birds, Second Edition covers all aspects of this absorbing subject, including migratory processes, problems of navigation and vagrancy, timing and physiological control of migration, large-scale movement patterns, the effects of recent climate change, the problems that migrants face, and the factors that limit their populations. This book provides a thorough and in-depth review of the state of the science, with the text supplemented by abundant tables, maps and diagrams. Written by a world-renowned avian ecology and migration researcher, this book reveals the extraordinary adaptability of birds to the variable and changing conditions across the globe. This book represents the most updated and detailed review of bird migration, its evolution, ecology and bird physiology. Written in a clear and readable style, it will appeal not only to migration researchers in the field and ornithologists, but to anyone with an interest in this fascinating subject. - Features updated and trending ecological aspects, including various types of bird movements, dispersal and nomadism, and how they relate to food supplies and other external conditions - Contains numerous tables, maps, diagrams, a glossary, and a bibliography of more than 3,000 up-to-date references - Written by an active researcher with a distinguished career in avian ecology, including migration research

'A joyful, poetic hymn to spring... Dee is one of our greatest living nature writers' Observer One December, in midsummer South Africa, Tim Dee was watching swallows. They were at home there, but the same birds would soon begin journeying north to Europe, where their arrival marks the beginning of spring. Greenery recounts how Tim Dee tries to follow the season and its migratory birds, making remarkable journeys in the Sahara, the Straits of Gibraltar, Sicily, Britain, and finally by the shores of the Arctic Ocean in northern Scandinavia. On each adventure, he is in step with the very best days of the year - the time of song and nests and eggs, of buds and blossoms and leafing. 'A masterpiece... I can't imagine I'll ever stop thinking about it' Max Porter 'Fascinating, horizon-expanding, life-enhancing' Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden