This page provides information on articles, papers, books and other publications relevant to raptors and raptor workers. It will primarily relate to current material and please Contact Us with any suggestions for inclusion.

Title: Carbofuran and Wildlife Poisoning: Global Perspectives & Forensic Approaches Author(s): Editor - Ngaio Richards Published by: Wiley Blackwell, 18th November 2011 ISBN: 9780470745236 Price: £66 Availability: Available on-line from book distributors including Amazon Summary: This book is a compilation of international contributors from policy-makers to researchers, conservationists and forensic practioners and is the definitive reference on the subject. Includes a chapter about raptor poisoning in Scotland.

Title: Raptor Persecution on a large Perthshire estate: a historical study. Author(s): R.L. McMillan Published by: Scottish Birds 31(3): 195-205, 01st September 2011 ISBN: 00 Price: £0 Availability: Via subscription of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club. Summary: The Atholl Game and Vermin Lists provide an almost continuous record from 1867 until 1988 and in many respects are unique for a large estate in Scotland. Large numbers of raptors and owls were destroyed by gamekeepers during the latter part of the 19th century and into the late 20th century. The implementation of legislation to protect predatory birds appears to have made little difference to persecution levels. Gamekeepers on individual beats seemed able to decide whether they killed predators or not. A few gamekeepers chose not to kill any birds of prey. Some persecution continued well into the late 20th century and a comparison between estate records and incidents recorded by the authorities strongly suggests that a substantial amount of illegal persecution was not recorded.

Title: Kestrels for Company Author(s): Gordon Riddle Published by: Whittles Publishing, 20th February 2011 ISBN: Price: £18.99 Availability: http://whittlespublishing.com/index.php?view=product&product=171 Summary: From the publisher: An appealing book that rightfully raises the profile of the kestrel. It provides an extensive picture of this delightful falcon, including its lifestyle and the factors that affect its breeding success and survival. This is based upon almost 40 years’ monitoring of the kestrel in south-west Scotland and further afield by the author and colleagues, giving a flavour of the integrated approach to monitoring and conservation. As well as the wealth of factual data, there are entertaining anecdotes and stories both from the author’s experiences and from the wider media coverage of this raptor over the years. The reader is taken to exotic locations such as the Seychelles, Mauritius and the Cape Verde Islands to see the endemic island kestrels which have always held a great fascination for the author. Latest figures show an alarming decline of 36% in the kestrel population in the UK, with even more dramatic falls such as 64% in Scotland. The fieldwork techniques which play such an important role are detailed in a composite breeding season. The kestrel is not portrayed in isolation and the bird’s current circumstance is tied into the bigger picture of raptor conservation and the struggle against sustained persecution. The author reflects upon the political, economic and conservation issues that have dominated this field in the past few decades and through this personal and well-informed account the reader gains access to the world of the kestrel.

Title: Comparative nest habitat characteristics of sympatric white-tailed and golden eagles in western Scotland. Author(s): R. J. Evans et al. Published by: Bird Study 57: 473-482., 01st December 2010 ISBN: 0 Price: £0 Availability: Summary: White-tailed and golden eagles appear to partition nesting habitat in the west of Scotland by altitude. This corresponds with behaviour in western Norway and with the situation described in historical accounts of nest-sites in western Scotland prior to the extirpation of white-tailed eagles. It is also consistent with recent studies showing little overlap in breeding season diet of golden and white-tailed eagles in western Scotland, and likely partitioning of foraging habitat by altitude. The likelihood of competitive exclusion is less than previously suggested.

Title: The breeding status of Peregrine Falcons in the UK and Isle of Man in 2002. Author(s): Alexander Banks, Humphrey Crick, Rachel Coombes, Stuart Benn, Derek Ratcliffe and Elizabeth Humphreys. Corresponding author: liz.humphreys@bto.org Published by: Bird Study 57: 421-436. (2010), 01st December 2010 ISBN: 00 Price: £0 Availability: Summary: Numbers of breeding peregrines are higher in 2002 than ever recorded and the recovery of the species within the UK has continued since 1991. In 2002, 1530 peregrine nesting ranges were estimated to be occupied. This showed a 12% increase from 1991 and a 64% increase from the 1930s. However, there were geographical differences in change, with rapid expansion in the south of England tempered by declines in northern Scotland. In areas where the species has declined, various factors including reduced food supply and persecution are likely to be involved.

Title: In Search of Harriers Author(s): Donald Watson Published by: Langford Press, 01st October 2010 ISBN: 9781904078128 Price: £38 Availability: available at bookshops (including SOC) and through the publishers www.langford-press.co.uk Summary: Donald Watson finished writing the text of this book shortly before he died in 2005. Donald stressed it was not to be another monograph but was largely to illustrate his artwork of some 50 years in what was his favourite subject. He was indebted to the many owners of the original artwork which were photographed by Ian Langford. This publication is a true tribute to the legacy of Donald Watson both through his art and his ability to communicate his great love and empathy with a species which has been much maligned and which sadly continues to be persecuted. The book will be officially launched at St John's Town of Dalry on 16th October.

Title: Breeding Ravens on Orkney 1983-2009 Author(s): C.J. Booth Published by: Scottish Birds Vol 30 (3) Sept. 2010 pp 201-06, 25th September 2010 ISBN: 00 Price: £0 Availability: by subscription from www.the-soc.org.uk Summary: The breeding population of Ravens was monitored on mainland Orkney from 1983-2009. The number of breeding pairs increased from 24 to 54 during the study period. Sea cliffs were mainly used but an increasing % of pairs used inland sites including trees and man-made sites. Annual breeding success of 60.7% is the lowest of any part of Britain except Shetland though human interference with nest sites has recently declined. Mean number of young reared per successful pair is 2.9, just below the Scottish mean of 3.1.

Title: The Golden Eagle Author(s): Jeff Watson Published by: A&C Black, 01st September 2010 ISBN: 9781408114209 Price: £50 Availability: available through bookshops or from the publishers www.acblack.com Summary: This is the 2nd edition of Jeff's monograph which has been brought up to date by Helen Riley and Des Thompson. It contains up to date research not just from Scotland but from North America, continental Europe and elsewhere. The text is enriched by many fine drawings and landscapes from Keith Brockie.

Title: Scotland's Birds of Prey Author(s): Des Thompson, Helen Riley and Brian Etheridge Published by: Lomond Books, 01st August 2010 ISBN: 9781842042144 Price: £3.5 Availability: widely available at bookstores or from www.lomondbooks.com Summary: According to the publisher this is "a fascinating look at some of Scotland's most charismatic birds. Full of facts and up to date descriptions of all the popular species, there are also tips on the best locations of where to see them in the wild." It is in fact a well produced guide, not exactly pocket-sized, but which will be widely used by visitors. The authors need no introduction and SRSGs get a mention inside the back cover.

Title: Avian prey and avian prey populations Author(s): Newson,S.E., Rexstad,E.A.,Baillie,S.R., Buckland, S.T. & Aebisher, N.J. Published by: Journal of Applied Ecology, 10th June 2010 ISBN: 00 Price: £0 Availability: By subscription - Journal of Applied Ecology 47:244-252 Summary: The full title is 'Population change of avian predatorsand Grey Squirrels in England:is there evidence for an impact on avian prey populations?'. This paper used 40 years of monitoring data on predators and prey numbers but found little evidence of large-scale impacts of avian predators and Grey Squirrels on avian prey populations. The paper asked whether English populations of 29 species, mainly songbirds, had been depressed by increases in the abundance of two types of predators, firstly raptors such as Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Buzzard, and secondly nest predators such as corvids, Grey Squirrel etc. For 22 of the 29 potential prey species there was no link between the increase of predator and the decline of prey species. Some of the other links were fairly tenuous but there was a link between increasing numbers of Sparrowhawks and decline in Bullfinch, Tree Sparrow and Reed Bunting and these negative associations may merit further work. The study also uncovered a large number of positive associations between predators and prey.