The Peregrine Falcon

Poyser Monographs

by Derek Ratcliffe, Donald Watson (Illustrator)

The first edition of The Peregrine Falcon was widely recognized as a classic of its kind, documenting not only the species' biology but the sad story of its decline due to the impact of pesticides. This extensively revised and enlarged second edition takes full account of important new developments in the story of this bird during the years since the first publication. Many of the tables and figures have been revised and brought up-to-date so that this volume is by far the most detailed and readable reference on this most evocative of birds. Donald Watson's color paintings, monochrome washes and line drawings, as well as the original photographs, illustrate the book as before.

Key Features:

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The long awaited up-to-date revision of the classic bestseller
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Latest information on status and distribution of the species
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Updated information on all aspects of the species biology

Genres: Birds, Nonfiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 1980

About the author

Derek Almey Ratcliffe was one of the most significant English nature conservationists of the 20th century. He was Chief Scientist for the Nature Conservancy Council at the Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, retiring in 1989. Ratcliffe was the author of the 1977 Nature Conservation Review, a document which set out the most important sites for nature conservation in the United Kingdom. He also published various works on nature and conservation.

Reviews

[Joe]

Still the go to reference for information on peregrines in the UK.

[Dan Downing]

Well, almost. What I read was a signed first edition of the hardback I gleefully found in a bookstore in Glasgow, Scotland, last summer. I bought several books and if it were not for weight restrictions on the airplane ( and sanity restrictions on the checking account) I would have carted away plenty more.

This is a gem. Beautifully bound, with some color plates, many black and white photographs and loads of line drawings. Honestly, it is not for the usual reader. I doubt ten people ever read the thing cover to cover. That is my habit and I had to struggle a bit. This is data-dense, with graphs and pages filled with stats about birds: breeding calendars, foods consumed, egg weights, eerie heights, population densities, migration habits and more. There is an extensive chapter on DDT and other life destroyers.
While there is data gleaned from around the world, mostly this is a book about Britain. As such it talks about game-keepers, the once bitterly reviled lackeys of the landed gentry. Historically they were very hard on birds of prey as well as the starving populace. Of late, the people are better off by far and the game-keepers and their employers have come to recognize the value of the Peregrine. And to adhere to the laws about the same.
I feel a mention of the work done by naturalists, mostly unpaid, who gathered the data presented herein. While I have little sympathy for nest raiders and egg thieves, I do see how, by accident, their collections contributed strongly to proving some other trolls, the purveyors of chemical death, were destroying the Peregrine and other fowl.
Highly Recommended

[Leah]

A lot of good science that is so canonical now it is good to remember how groundbreaking it was. I've only read Silent Spring by osmosis, but I would conjecture that Ratcliffe's book has a more historical/scientific perspective than the revered environmental lament/call to action. I would welcome insight on that point, or possibly I will put it on my "sooner" to-read list.

[Molly]

Extremely thorough research and information.