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The Osprey
A highly readable Poyser monograph on one of the most widespread raptors.
The Osprey is a large, fish-eating bird of prey. Distinctively marked in deep brown and white, with a piercing yellow eye and powerful hooked bill, the Osprey snatches its prey in spectacular swoops above lakes and wetlands around the world – it is one of the most widespread of all birds. Persecuted mercilessly in Britain, it became extinct in the 1890s before returning to the famous Loch Garten in Scotland in the 1950s. The return of the bird has been slow, but reintroduction programmes elsewhere – notably at Rutland Water – have been successful, and this remarkable raptor is an increasingly common sight in our skies.
This Poyser monograph is dedicated to this fine species and includes more than 150 colour photographs. The Osprey looks at the distribution, foraging ecology, migration, breeding behaviour and population dynamics of this spectacular bird, with emphasis placed on conservation efforts both in Britain and in the species' African haunts, which have been discovered only very recently thanks to advances in satellite tagging technology.
The Osprey is a large, fish-eating bird of prey. Distinctively marked in deep brown and white, with a piercing yellow eye and powerful hooked bill, the Osprey snatches its prey in spectacular swoops above lakes and wetlands around the world – it is one of the most widespread of all birds. Persecuted mercilessly in Britain, it became extinct in the 1890s before returning to the famous Loch Garten in Scotland in the 1950s. The return of the bird has been slow, but reintroduction programmes elsewhere – notably at Rutland Water – have been successful, and this remarkable raptor is an increasingly common sight in our skies.
This Poyser monograph is dedicated to this fine species and includes more than 150 colour photographs. The Osprey looks at the distribution, foraging ecology, migration, breeding behaviour and population dynamics of this spectacular bird, with emphasis placed on conservation efforts both in Britain and in the species' African haunts, which have been discovered only very recently thanks to advances in satellite tagging technology.
304 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2024
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About the author
Tim Mackrill
3 books1 followerDr. Tim Mackrill is a nature conservationist working with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation on various species recovery projects, including the reintroduction of Ospreys and White-tailed Eagles in England. He completed a PhD on Osprey migration and managed the Rutland Osprey Project for more than ten years.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 23, 2025
Every year from lockdown year (2020) I have watched an osprey nest at Loch Arkaig in the Scottish highlands via a Woodland Trust website. It has been fascinating to see them raising a family each year. There have been highs and lows, times of tragedy and times of great joy. Watching this nest has become a non negotiable part of my life.
I have learnt a lot about ospreys through watching the nest over all those years, both from my own observations and also from the wonderfully sharing and knowledgeable community, but I thought it was time I read further on the subject and this book was highly recommended.
The book is very readable, with wonderful photographs. It reads very much like a thesis and contains a lot of statistics and technical info that is less interesting to an amateur like me, but every chapter had a very clear and useful summary of what the chapter covered.
Although the book contained a lot of info that was a bit too scientific, I enjoyed the book and learnt a lot from it.
I have learnt a lot about ospreys through watching the nest over all those years, both from my own observations and also from the wonderfully sharing and knowledgeable community, but I thought it was time I read further on the subject and this book was highly recommended.
The book is very readable, with wonderful photographs. It reads very much like a thesis and contains a lot of statistics and technical info that is less interesting to an amateur like me, but every chapter had a very clear and useful summary of what the chapter covered.
Although the book contained a lot of info that was a bit too scientific, I enjoyed the book and learnt a lot from it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review