RSPB British Birds of Prey

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This book is a celebration of British raptors (including owls), with 200 stunning colour photographs. Stephen Message is one of the UK's foremost bird artists as well as an experienced birdwatcher. He studied Graphic Design, then specialised in natural history illustration at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and has worked as a freelance artist ever since. Stephen has twice been runner up for the Bird Illustrator of the Year, and he was the Birdwatch Artist of the Year in 2017. Stephen painted the beautiful cover artworks for all four editions of the RSPB Handbook of British Birds. He has illustrated many books in his career, including Waders of Europe, Asia and North America, Bill Oddie's Birds of Britain and Ireland and the Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia.

Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth Hardcover, 1971). 1971 1st edition. 8vo (134 x 204mm). Pp208. B/w photographs, drawings. Blue boards, gilt titles to spine. Very good in slightly frayed dust-wrapper. "Designed for use in the field, this book gives much practical advice to the observer on the identification of British and European birds of prey. .The authors have included a valuable series of pencil drawings which have been specially prepared to assist in identification, and the photographs have been chosen to show mainly birds in flight." .The merlin is our smallest bird of prey in Britain. They stay mainly in the uplands, breeding on moors and hillsides. They are resident to the UK, which is on the southern edge of their range and numbers increase in the winter as more birds from Icleand and northern Europe arrive to escape the colder winters.

If you are looking for even more excitement, you can have a go at flying a bird yourself, on our award-winning private and group experiences!Sparrowhawks were almost extinct in the UK after centuries of persecution and pesticides which caused their eggs to break before they could hatch. After sucessful conservation efforts, these birds are thriving now, and there could be as many as 40,000 pairs breeding in Britain. Whilst mainly brown, they have light patches on the underside of their wings, which can help to distinguish them from ravens or large crows at a glance. Their primary wing feathers also give the appearance of long fingers. A good way to spot buzzards is to listen for their distinctive and iconic 'mew' call.