Migrating Raptors of the World: Their Ecology and Conservation [Hardcover]

Keith L. Bildstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2006

Many raptors, the hawks, eagles, and falcons of the world, migrate over long distances, often in impressively large numbers. Many avoid crossing wide expanses of water and follow "flyways" to optimize soaring potential. Atmospheric conditions and landscape features, including waterways and mountain ranges, funnel these birds into predictable bottlenecks through which thousands of daytime birds of prey may pass in a short time. Birders and ornithologists also congregate at these locations to observe the river of raptors passing overhead (as did hunters in the United States in the past and in some countries even today). Keith L. Bildstein has studied migrating raptors on four continents and directs the conservation science program at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania, the world's first refuge for migratory birds of prey. In this book, he details the stories and successes of twelve of the world's most important raptor-viewing spots, among them Cape May Point, New Jersey; Veracruz, Mexico; Kéköldi, Costa Rica; the Strait of Gibralter, Spain; and Elat, Israel. During peak migration, when the weather is right, the skies at these sites, as at Hawk Mountain, can fill with thousands of birds in a single field of view. Bildstein, whose knowledge of the phenomenon of raptor migration is comprehensive, provides an accessible account of the history, ecology, geography, science, and conservation aspects surrounding the migration of approximately two hundred species of raptors between their summer breeding sites and their wintering grounds. He summarizes current knowledge about how the birds' bodies handle the demands of long-distance migration and how they know where to go. Migrating Raptors of the World also includes the ecological and conservation stories of several of the world's most intriguing raptor migrants, including the Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Western Honey Buzzard, Northern Harrier, Grey-faced Buzzard, Steppe Buzzar

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Migrating Raptors of the World, by Keith L. Bildstein, is a stunning book, exceptional in both its inherently worldwide scope and in the depth with which it treats its subjects. Like Bildstein, I was fascinated at an early age by the hunting flights of birds of prey-then as an adult so entranced by their far-flung migrations that I followed peregrine falcons in a light plane from Texas to Canada and back to the tropics. Yet if this volume had existed to answer, as it does, most of my questions about where my falcons went, and when, and how they did so, I might never have made the journey with them. Thus for both the professional ornithologist and those who simply feel their hearts go out to every autumnal kettle of broadwings channeling south between Vera Cruz and the coastal Sierras, to the sight of a tundra peregrine sweeping over a Caribbean marsh, putting a thousand shorebirds into simultaneous flight, or to the mystery of a golden eagle soaring north--from where to where?--along the Rocky Mountains' Front Range, this book is a key to these fierce and lovely creatures' heretofore almost mystical intercontinental realm. I could not recommend it more highly."--Alan Tennant, author of On The Wing: To the Edge of the Earth With The Peregrine Falcon

"Through his extensive personal knowledge and familiarity with the published literature, Keith L. Bildstein has produced a comprehensive treatment of the spectacular phenomena of raptor migration. Until recently, migration has been one of the least understood aspects of raptor biology; however, this volume provides both professional ornithologists and amateur raptor migration enthusiasts with a very readable synthesis of our current understanding of raptor migration. Bildstein presents interesting case studies of several raptor species that illustrate how the migration strategies of these magnificent birds can develop very differently. He also highlights stories and findings from twelve of the world's most important hawk-watching sites. This book should be of broad interest to bird watchers, ornithologists, and conservation ecologists, but is a must for the libraries of raptor biologists."--Michael W. Collopy, Executive Director, Academy for the Environment

About the Author

Keith L. Bildstein is Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science at the Acopian Center for Conservation Learning, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. He is the author of White Ibis: Wetland Wanderer and coeditor of RaptorWatch: A Global Directory of Raptor Migration Sites.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Comstock Publishing; 1 edition (January 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080144179X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801441790
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #357,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Migrating Raptors of the World, January 8, 2007

By 

Danny R. Kunkle (Lehighton, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Migrating Raptors of the World: Their Ecology and Conservation (Hardcover)

In his role as Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Keith Bildstein has arguably studied raptors on a more global scale than any person alive, both in person and in the literature. He has put this experience to good effect in this excellent synthesis of the research on raptor migration ecology around the world. The inclusion of information from the tropics, Asia, Australia, Africa, and South America make this book a big advancement over its predecessors. Bildstein's concise and precise text uses words economically to explain scientific phenomena and details of raptor biology clearly in a way that is accessible to amateur ornithologists and conservationists, while still being of interest and value to professionals. The references alone form a valuable body of work for anyone doing research in the field. And the migration life histories of eight species are unique and interesting, showing how individual species apply the general ecological principles of migration ecology in varying ways. Every hawkwatcher and raptor researcher will definitely want to add this to their libraries; birders and naturalists of all interests will be enriched in their understanding of the natural world by this book; and ecologists and conservationists of all stripes should own this work since it is about some of the sentinel species of earth's environment. I give it my highest recommendation and it would make a great Christmas gift for any of the above.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive writing on raptor migration, August 1, 2007

By 

G. George (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Migrating Raptors of the World: Their Ecology and Conservation (Hardcover)

One of the criticisms of science is that scientists are 'preaching to the choir', that is, there is difficulty in passing scientific findings outside of the scientific community and into the general public where important on-the-ground decisions are made. In this book, Keith demonstrates the ability to take the vast body of scientific literature, as it pertains to raptors, and organize it in a way which allows the reader to feel at ease with the subject matter. A true eloquence is evident considering it was all done without the need to 'dumb down' the science which remains the foundation of the book. Each chapter, heavily cited, will be entertaining and educational to anyone interested in raptors and their conservation.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read, October 30, 2006

By 

H. Mayson (PORTLAND, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Migrating Raptors of the World: Their Ecology and Conservation (Hardcover)

To me, one of the most boring topics to read about is bird migration. This topic puts me to sleep, it is that boring. This book, however, is interesting. The information is presented in a very easy manner to understand and it makes the topic of migration interesting. This book sites particular species as they migrate and provides theories and other information about the reasons for migration. Very good and informative.