Birds of Passage

Birds of Passage

Author: Mark-Anthony Falzon

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2020-07-01

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1789207673

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Bird migration between Europe and Africa is a fraught journey, particularly in the Mediterranean, where migratory birds are shot and trapped in large numbers. In Malta, thousands of hunters share a shrinking countryside. They also rub shoulders with a strong bird-protection and conservation lobby. Drawing on years of ethnographic fieldwork, this book traces the complex interactions between hunters, birds and the landscapes they inhabit, as well as the dynamics and politics of bird conservation. Birds of Passage looks at the practice and meaning of hunting in a specific context, and raises broader questions about human-wildlife interactions and the uncertain outcomes of conservation.


A Complete Guide to the Birds of Malta

A Complete Guide to the Birds of Malta

Author: Natalino Fenech

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789993273103

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Lying in the centre of the Mediterranean, Malta is a natural staging post for migrant birds crossing from Africa to Europe in spring as well as for migrants returning from their breeding grounds in Europe to the African continent in autumn. Birds have attracted man's attention for a long time and this book shows images of birds in prehistory, art, stamps, coins, antique embroidery and so forth. It also speaks about birds in all aspects of Maltese culture, from folklore to language. It is also a photographic record of many of the birds that regularly visit the islands and features ones that are rare or have been recorded a handful of times. It also contains several unpublished records dating from 1958.


Migration Strategies of Birds of Prey in Western Palearctic

Migration Strategies of Birds of Prey in Western Palearctic

Author: Michele Panuccio

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2021-07-28

Total Pages: 411

ISBN-13: 1351023608

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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.


Migration

Migration

Author: Melissa Mayntz

Publisher: Hardie Grant Publishing

Published: 2020-05-14

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 1787135055

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WINNER OF THE SILVER MEDAL IN THE ANIMAL & NATURE CATEGORY OF THE NAUTILUS AWARDS 2022 Flight has fascinated humans since we first looked into the sky and saw birds on the wing, and no flights are more fascinating than the extraordinary migrations birds make every day, week, month, and season of the year. Migration explores how birds make these incredible expeditions. From first preparing to migrate, to the different types of migration and the compelling reasons why it is a must. From the high-flying adventures of bar-headed geese that soar above the Himalayan Mountains and the long-distance endurance of Arctic terns that travel from pole-to-pole, birds of all families, from vast seasonal migrators to the more casual nomad, will be explored. As readers migrate through the book’s pages, they will also discover avian navigation, curious routes, the hazards of the journey, and why, occasionally, birds end up far from their original destination. Beautifully illustrated, this book will debunk the most outrageous myths about migration as it thoroughly travels the globe exploring the epic journeys these incredible birds make.


RSPB Migration Hotspots

RSPB Migration Hotspots

Author: Tim Harris

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-01-28

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1472932498

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Migration Hotspots brings the spectacle and excitement of amazing bird migrations to the general reader. Each spring and autumn hundreds of millions of birds - wildfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and passerines - migrate between higher and lower latitudes, or in some cases between high latitudes in the northern hemisphere and high latitudes in the southern hemisphere. In a handful of places around the world, a combination of geography, topography and climate combine to funnel migrant birds into narrow fronts, leading to migration hotspots, places where, for a few days each year, birds seem to be everywhere. The sight of thousands upon thousands of birds is one of nature's greatest wildlife spectacles. Migration Hotspots takes a look at 30 of the locations where the planet's most dramatic bird migration can be witnessed, from raptor bottlenecks such as Veracruz (Mexico) and the Strait of Messina (Italy) to places like Point Pelée (Canada) and Beidaihe (China) where spectacular falls of songbirds can take place. And from wetlands where huge numbers of waders stop over each spring and autumn to the great rarity islands of Scilly and Heligoland. The book covers each of the world's major avian flyways and features stunning photography throughout. The geographical reasons for the importance of each hotspot are explained, with a summary of the different birds that pass through and the best times of year to see them, and an introductory chapter summarises birds' migration strategies.


Bird Migration across the Himalayas

Bird Migration across the Himalayas

Author: Herbert H. T. Prins

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2017-04-06

Total Pages: 491

ISBN-13: 1107114713

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The first reference to demonstrate how birds survive the high-altitude Central Asian Flyway and the threats to this unique migration.


Red Coats and Wild Birds

Red Coats and Wild Birds

Author: Kirsten A. Greer

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2019-11-21

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 1469649845

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During the nineteenth century, Britain maintained a complex network of garrisons to manage its global empire. While these bases helped the British project power and secure trade routes, they served more than just a strategic purpose. During their tours abroad, many British officers engaged in formal and informal scientific research. In this ambitious history of ornithology and empire, Kirsten A. Greer tracks British officers as they moved around the world, just as migratory birds traversed borders from season to season. Greer examines the lives, writings, and collections of a number of ornithologist-officers, arguing that the transnational encounters between military men and birds simultaneously shaped military strategy, ideas about race and masculinity, and conceptions of the British Empire. Collecting specimens and tracking migratory bird patterns enabled these men to map the British Empire and the world and therefore to exert imagined control over it. Through its examination of the influence of bird watching on military science and soldiers' contributions to ornithology, Red Coats and Wild Birds remaps empire, nature, and scientific inquiry in the nineteenth-century world.