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Books about the Peregrine Falcon

The books are listed in order of publication date with the most recent at the top.

Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Family: Falconidae


General books about raptors, many of which include sections on the Peregrine, can be found on;

The Raptor Page


A page that brings together all books about Falcons, many of which include sections on the Peregrine, can be found on;

The Falcon Page

 

The Peregrine Returns: The Art and Architecture of an Urban Raptor Recovery

Mary Hennen

Illustrations: Peggy MacNamara

University Of Chicago Press

2017

"In The Peregrine Returns, Mary Hennen gives wings to this extraordinary conservation success story. Drawing on the beautiful watercolours of Field Museum artist-in-residence Peggy Macnamara and photos by Field Museum research assistant Stephanie Ware, as well as her own decades of work with peregrines, Hennen uses a program in Chicago as a case study for the peregrines' journey from their devastating decline to the discovery of its cause (a thinning of eggshells caused by a by-product of DDT), through to recovery, revealing how the urban landscape has played an essential role in enabling falcons to return to the wild – and how people are now learning to live in close proximity to these captivating raptors. Both a model for conservation programs across the country and an eye-opening look at the many creatures with which we share our homes, this richly illustrated story is an inspiring example of how urban architecture can serve not only our cities' human inhabitants, but also their wild ones."

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Falcons

Richard Sale

New Naturalist 132

Collins

2016

"In a much-anticipated volume on one of Britain’s most fascinating group of birds, Richard Sale draws on a wealth of experience and research, providing a comprehensive natural history of the four British breeding falcons. The book takes each of the four breeding species in turn (Kestrel, Merlin, Hobby and Peregrine Falcon), exploring its form, habitat, breeding biology and status, along with a chapter on the hunting techniques of each species."

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Falcons in the City: The Story of a Peregrine Family

Chris G. Earley

Illustration: Luke Massey

Firefly Books

2016

"A charming story about a nest of wild birds that alarm, then charm, their city landlords. What happens when a peregrine falcon chooses to lay its eggs on a balcony high atop a tower block? Here is the story of a family of wild birds that moves into a cramped urban home and decides to settle in among towers filled with people and noise. The birds' new human neighbours are quick to try and evict, but it turns out that the falcons have rights too and the law is on their side. This amusing true-life story looks at the issues related to urban wildlife and how urban dwellers co-exist with an ever-increasing wildlife population that finds ingenious - and sometimes devious - ways to move into our homes and cities, often without notice. Illustrated with photographs documenting the early life of a peregrine falcon family that grows from eggs to full-fledged birds in the flowerbox of a curious apartment-dweller, this book also explores the natural history of this majestic bird species."

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Flight Paths: A Field Journal of Hope, Heartbreak, and Miracles with New York's Bird People

Darryl McGrath

Excelsior Editions

2016

"In the late 1970s, the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon were heading toward extinction, victims of the combined threats of DDT, habitat loss, and lax regulation. Flight Paths tells the story of how a small group of New York biologists raced against nature’s clock to bring these two beloved birds back from the brink in record-setting numbers. In a narrative that reads like a suspense tale, Darryl McGrath documents both rescue projects in never-before-published detail. At Cornell University, a team of scientists worked to crack the problem of how to breed peregrine falcons in captivity and then restore them to the wild. Meanwhile, two young, untested biologists tackled the overwhelming assignment of rebuilding the bald eagle population from the state’s last nesting pair, one of whom (the female) was sterile. McGrath interweaves this dramatic retelling with contemporary accounts of four at-risk species: the short-eared owl, the common loon, the Bicknell’s thrush, and the piping plover. She worked alongside biologists as they studied these elusive subjects in the Northeast’s most remote regions, and the result is a story that combines vivid narrative with accessible science and is as much a tribute to these experts as it is a call to action for threatened birds."

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The Peregrines of Norwich Cathedral

Robin Chittenden

Red Hare Publishing

2015

"The Peregrines of Norwich Cathedral has breath-taking photography from one man’s love for these incredible birds of prey. Robin Chittenden has been photographing birds ever since he was given a camera as a child. From the first sighting of an adult bird perched on the cathedral in 2009, Robin has followed the Peregrines at one of Norfolk’s most iconic buildings."

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The Story of the Norwich Peregrines

Andy Thompson

Hawk & Owl Trust

2015

"In a major update to his first book The Peregrines of Norwich Cathedral - Their Year in Pictures published in 2012 photographer and author Andy Thompson presents a superb selection of images taken from ground-level during the breeding seasons 2012-14. Augmented by stills images courtesy of the Hawk and Owl Trust webcam and Andy's insightful Peregrines back story this is a beautifully presented pictorial record of the newest cathedral residents that have captured the imagination of millions of internet viewers from around the world."

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Peregrine Falcon

Patrick Stirling-Aird

Bloomsbury Publishing

2015

Originally published by New Holland in 2012.

"Reaching speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour, the Peregrine Falcon is famous as the world's fastest bird. However, its penchant for choosing inaccessible places to breed, feed and roost mean that few people are well acquainted with its habits and behaviour. Peregrine Falcon offers a window into that rarely seen world, thanks to a combination of high quality images and beautifully written text, with chapters on subjects such as hunting, raising young and how populations around the world have rallied against the threat of extinction and are now prospering once again. The birds are further brought to life through a series of personal anecdotes from the author and photographers, which are woven into the text."

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Queen of the Sky

Jackie Morris

Graffeg

2015

"The amazing story of Ffion Rees and the peregrine falcon she rescued from the sea off the remote coast of west Wales. It's the story of how Ffion nursed the Falcon back to life and back to the wild, and about the bond which grew between the two. The story is told by international author and illustrator Jackie Morris, a friend of Ffion, who also lives in this remote part of Pembrokeshire, west Wales. Jackie describes the risks, triumphs and above all the trust which developed between the pair and which formed the basis of the falcon's path to back to health and back to the freedom of the wild. Beautifully illustrated throughout with photographs, drawings, sketches and magificent paintings in watercolour and gold leaf by Jackie Morris. A must for birdwatchers, art lovers and romantics alike."

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Urban Peregrines

Ed Drewitt

Pelagic Publishing

2014

"This beautifully illustrated book is the first in-depth focus on the lives of Peregrines in towns and cities. In words and stunning photographs, Ed Drewitt reveals the latest information on Peregrine behaviour including how they are adapting to, and taking advantage of, the urban environment. The book is also a how-to-guide, with information on finding peregrines, studying their diet, ringing individuals for research, putting up nest boxes and enabling people to learn more about them through public viewing points or web cameras. Ed also discusses what makes a Peregrine urban, their contemporary relationship with people, and helps dispel some myths and reveal some truths about this agile predator."

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Peregrine Falcons of the World

Clayton M. White, Tom J. Cade, James H. Enderson

Original art: Andrew Ellis

Lynx Edicions

2012

"Peregrine Falcons of the World brings together the lifetime experiences of the authors with this splendid falcon in the field and in museums, hundreds of personal accounts by Peregrine observers worldwide, a vast literature on this falcon which is surely among the best-studied birds, scores of superb photographic images so generously supplied, and the matchless art of Andrew Ellis. The goal is to provide a feel for how Peregrines have responded to their varied world, and to earmark the many gaps in what we know. Oddly, Peregrines have not colonized many places, where by any reckoning, they should be. In recent times, roughly twenty subspecies of Peregrines were described. The historical reasons for these designations, and our current analyses are provided here. Some populations are very distinct in form and color, but sometimes they geographically overlap and intergrades appear. Each subspecies account also describes distribution, hunting and nesting habitats, migration and wintering ranges, estimated population sizes, and conservation aspects."

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Peregrine Falcon

Patrick Stirling-Aird

New Holland

2012

"Reaching speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour, the Peregrine Falcon is famous as the world's fastest bird. However, its penchant for choosing inaccessible places to breed, feed and roost mean that few people are well acquainted with its habits and behaviour. This book offers a window into that rarely seen world, thanks to a combination of high quality images and beautifully written text, with chapters on subjects such as hunting, raising young and how populations around the world have rallied against the threat of extinction and are now prospering once again. The birds are further brought to life through a series of personal anecdotes from the author and photographers, which are woven into the text."

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The History and Range Expansion of Peregrine Falcons in the Thule Area, Northwest Greenland

Kurt K. Burnham with William A.Burnham, Ian Newton, Jeff A. Johnson and Andrew G. Gosler

Museum Tusculanum Press, University of Copenhagen / University of Chicago Press

2012

"The History and Range Expansion of Peregrine Falcons in the Thule Area, Northwest Greenland covers the discovery and history of the most northern breeding population of Peregrine Falcons in the world, near Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland (75.9 – 77.6°N). Although the region was explored by scientific expeditions as early as 1818, Peregrines were not documented in the area until the 1930s. By the early 1990s the population had become well established, with a warming climate enabling Peregrines from further south to expand their breeding range northward. Here Burnham and his co-authors present their comprehensive findings on the biology and ecology of this population based on thirteen years of research from 1993 to 2005."

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Hunting Tactics of Peregrines and Other Falcons

Dick Dekker

Hancock House Publishers

2010

"This dissertation describes the foraging habits and capture rates of four species of bird-hunting falcons; Peregrine (Falco peregrinus), Merlin (Falco colum-barius), Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), and Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus). Eight of the nine study areas were situated in western Canada in widely different habitats, and the observation periods intermittently included all seasons over 44 years, 1965-2008. The various chapters report and compare the location-specific hunting methods and choice of prey of these falcons. In addition, the book reports on the population dynamics and nest site competition between Peregrines and Prairie Falcons on a sympatric breeding range in Alberta over a span of 48 years."

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The Peregrine, The Hill of Summer & Diaries

J.A. Baker

Cape

2010

"Despite the association of peregrines with the wild, outer reaches of the British Isles, The Peregrine is set on the flat marshes of the Essex coast, where J A Baker spent a long winter looking and writing about the visitors from the uplands – peregrines that spend the winter hunting the huge flocks of pigeons and waders that share the desolate landscape with them. Including original diaries from which The Peregrine was written and its companion volume The Hill of Summer, this is a beautiful compendium of lyrical nature writing at its absolute best. Bestselling author Mark Cocker has provided an introduction on the importance of Baker, his writings and the diaries – creating the essential volume of Baker's writings. Since the hardback was published in 2010, papers, maps, and letters have come to light which in turn provide a little more background into J A Baker's history. Contemporaries – particularly from while he was at school in Chelmsford – have kindly provided insights, remembering a school friend who clearly made an impact on his generation. In the longer term, there is hope of an archive of these papers being established, but in the meantime, and with the arrival of this paperback edition, there is a chance to reveal a little more of what has been learned. Among fragments of letters to Baker was one from a reader who praised a piece that Baker had written in RSPB Birds magazine in 1971. Apart from a paper on peregrines which Baker wrote for the Essex Bird Report, this article – entitled On the Essex Coast – appears to be his only other published piece of writing, and, with the kind agreement of the RSPB, it has been included in this updated new paperback edition of Baker's astounding work."

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Peregrine Falcon Populations: Status and Perspectives in the 21st Century

Editor: J Sielicki and T Mizera

Turul

2009

"The book is based on papers presented at the 2nd International Peregrine Conference Poland 2007, held from 19-23 September 2007 in Piotrowo near Poznan, Poland. There are papers on Peregrine populations in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Russia (European and Asiatic part), Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, United Kingdom. In addition to European presentations it also includes papers from countries in other continents - United States, Australia, South Africa, Israel, Malaysia, India, Argentina. Furthermore, this book also includes papers on Saker Falcons, comparing the species with the Peregrine and studies from their central European stronghold - Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia."

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The Peregrine Falcons of Morro Rock: A 40-Year History: 1967-2007

Steve Schubert

Createspace

2008

"The peregrine falcons of Morro Rock, located along the coast of Central California, have been admired and observed by travelers and visitors from around the world, and is one of the most well-known peregrine falcon nesting sites in North America. This 40-year history chronicles the yearly efforts of nest site attendants and endangered species management techniques - captive breeding, double clutching, captive hatching of thin, fragile wild eggs, and fostering falcon chicks into the wild nests - that has assisted in the recovery of a once imperiled species."

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Raptor Species Conservation Frameworks: The Peregrine Conservation Framework Project Progress Report: Phase 1

Liz Humphreys, Chris Wernham and Humphrey Crick

BTO Research Report 535

British Trust For Ornithology

2007

From the executive summary:

"The British population of Peregrines (Falco peregrinus) showed a period of recovery following the deleterious effects of organo-chlorine pesticides in the 1950s and 1960s. The most recent national survey in 2002 showed that the population had continued to increase in Britain as a whole but that the Scottish population had decreased by 8% since 1991, with particularly marked declines in some geographical areas of Scotland. Concerns about this continuing and spreading decline in Scotland led the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Group to instigate a detailed analysis of the factors influencing territory occupancy and loss, following the model undertaken as the Golden Eagle Conservation Framework."

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Falcon

Helen Macdonald

Animal series

Reaktion Books

2006

224 pages, 25 colour illustrations , 75 other illustrations

"Falcon surveys the practical and symbolic uses of falcons in human culture in new and exciting ways; bridging science and cultural history, and packed with fascinating facts and many illustrations, the book offers thought-provoking and sophisticated cultural analysis in a lively, approachable style. Helen Macdonald describes the complete history of the bird, ranging across the globe and over many millennia, as well as incorporating the latest scientific discoveries. There are chapters on falcon natural history; myth and legend; falconry; conservation; falcons in the military, in urban settings and the corporate world. Along the way, the reader will discover how falcons were mobilized in secret military projects, their links with espionage, the Third Reich and the space programme, and how they've featured in erotic stories. The book explores their veneration as gods in Ancient Egypt, their role as cultural icons in the Middle East, and their recruitment by the advertising industry to promote all manner of products, from photocopiers to jet planes. Falcon combines in-depth practical, personal and scientific knowledge of falcons with a strong analytical perspective, on the place of these birds in human history."

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Peregrine Falcon: Stories of the Blue Meanie

James H. Enderson

University of Texas Press

2005

"In this personal and highly entertaining memoir, Jim Enderson tells stories of a lifetime spent studying, training, breeding, and simply enjoying peregrine falcons. He recalls how his boyhood interest in raptors grew into an ornithological career in which he became one of the leading experts who helped identity DDT as the cause of the peregrine falcon's sudden and massive decline across the United States. His stories reveal both the dedication that he and fellow researchers brought to the task of studying and restoring the peregrine and the hair-raising adventures that sometimes befell them along the way. Enderson also seamlessly weaves in the biology and natural history of the peregrine, as well as anecdotes about its traditional and widespread use in falconry as an aggressive yet tractable hunter, to offer a broad portrait of this splendid and intriguing falcon."

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On the Wing: To the Edge of the Earth with a Peregrine Falcon

Alan Tennant

Vintage

2004

"An epic story about birds of prey, the American landscape, and man's dreams of flight."

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Return of the Peregrine: A North American Saga of Tenacity and Teamwork

Editors: Tom J. Cade and William Burnham

The Peregrine Fund

2003

"The Peregrine Falcon restoration is the largest and most comprehensive endeavor to restore wild populations of an endangered species ever accomplished. The magnitude of the program and level of cooperation achieved are unique in nature conservation. Why and how this effort was achieved is documented in this book and serves as an example of what can be accomplished when people are willing to work cooperatively.

Authored by 69 people with long-term involvement, and most of the individuals key to the success, the story is presented chronologically, topically, and geographically. Tom Cade begins with a prologue on the life history traits of the Peregrine Falcon in relation to recovery as only someone with over fifty years of experience can write. In the following 21 chapters and 57 sidebars the story unfolds in each author's own words.

Although the focus is in North America, including Greenland, the story extends to Europe with two renowned British scientists contributing chapters. Derek Ratcliffe tells his story of discovering DDT as the cause for Peregrine Falcon decline, followed later in the book by Ian Newton documenting the contribution of the restoration program to the understanding of the Peregrine and summarizing what is known about the species."

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The Peregrine Falcon Breeding Population of the UK and Isle of Man in 2002

A.N. Banks

BTO Research Report 330

BTO, The National Centre for Ornithology

2003

Historical, contemporary and prospective breeding territories of the Peregrine Falcon in the UK and Isle of Man were surveyed during the breeding season of 2002 by volunteer and professional fieldworkers. This 48 page report summarises the findings of the survey.

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Bolt from the Blue: Wild Peregrines on the Hunt

Dick Dekker

Hancock House Publishers

1999

" This book offers the unique accounts of a passionate expert who has seen more than 2,000 hunts by wild peregrines. A perceptive and personal narrative aimed at a wide readership, this book portrays the fabled falcon in a variety of landscapes, migrating over the prairies, caring for its young at the nest or wintering on the coast where it meets its nemesis, the mighty bald eagle. Bolt from the Blue is an exuberant celebration of the peregrine falcon's return from local extirpation."

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Wings for My Flight: The Peregrine Falcons of Chimney Rock

Marcy Cottrell Houle

Pruett Publishing

1999

"In the pristine desert of southern Colorado, a wildlife biologist spends a gruelling summer atop Chimney Rock observing a pair of nesting peregrine falcons, a species perilously close to extinction. She hopes her research will shed light on how to help the species 'recover'. The real-life drama that unfolds is rife with conflict, sadness, humour, and profound humility. Wings for My Flight tells the coming of age story of one biologist who, through the help of another species, comes to a greater understanding of her own."

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In Pursuit of the Peregrine

R.B. Treleaven

Tiercel Publishing

1998

"Dick Treleaven shares with his readers his unrivalled knowledge and deep insight of the birds' behaviour, their habits and habitats, their hunting techniques and motivation. His account which includes the re-establishment of the peregrine on many parts of the north Cornish coast and in inland quarries provides a vital record, while his illustrations and his observations capture the birds' unique attributes -their incredible vision and perception, their sheer speed and agility -that every one who has watched a peregrine cleaving the sky in pursuit of some distant prey will forever marvel at. Every stroke of Dick Treleaven's superb oil paintings and line drawings which grace the pages of this book and feature in many collections throughout the world, exude his love of these birds and their environment."

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Fascination with Falcons

Bill Burnham

Hancock House Publishers

1997

"Written by Bill Burnham, President of The Peregrine Fund. Supported by wonderful colour photos and attractive illustrations, author Bill Burnham combines information and experiences on and with falcons in the Americas."

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Stewart: The Skyscraper Falcon

Linda Birman

Hancock House Publishers

1997

"In the spring of 1994, a peregrine falcon captured Seattle's heart and imagination when it nested on the fifty-sixth floor of a downtown skyscraper. A video camera allowed visitors the privilege of watching the entire nesting process. Today peregrine falcons are recapturing a large part of their former world range and are invading all the great cities of the world."

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The Peregrine Sketchbook

C.F. Tunnicliffe

Introduction: Robert Gillmor

Afterword: Derek Ratcliffe

Excellent Press

1996

26 colour sketches of Peregrines made by in Anglesey, plus black and white sketches and extracts from Tunnicliffe's journal written whilst sketching the birds in Anglesey in 1948. The book has an introduction by Robert Gillmor and an afterword on the Anglesey Peregrines by Derek Ratcliffe.

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City Peregrines: A Ten-Year Saga of New York City Falcons

Saul Frank

Hancock House Publishers

1994

"This is more than a story of how the world's most spectacular aerial predator invaded and took over New York City. It offers more than an expansion of our understanding of nature's most ubiquitous bird. It is the personal story of how a retired business manager, Saul Frank, hiked, biked, and climbed around New York City pursuing peregrines, often at great risk to himself, but always gaining enjoyment for himself and his wife. It is the story of how our greater understanding of the world's most successful predator came from an amateur bird watcher."

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Dorset Peregrine Watch

Edmund Harwood

Wadswell Publications

1994

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Falcons of The Rock

Donovan Lavender

Lavender Books

1994

"A self-published hand printed book detailing the observations of the Peregrine Falcon at Morro Rock Ecological Reserve and the ecological problems besetting them."

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Peregrine

Emma Ford

Paintings: Antony Rhodes

Photographs: Piers Cavendish

Fourth Estate

1993

"This well-illustrated book is a celebration of the peregrine falcon. It describes its place in history and its cultural significance across the world. It then goes on to describe the peregrine's natural history, with details on its life cycle, its interactions with man, and its future prospects."

Includes specially commissioned photographs by Piers Cavendish and paintings and drawings by Anthony Rhodes.

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Peregrine Falcons

C Savage and A Forsyth

Sierra Club Books for Children

1993

"This lavishly illustrated book depicts the peregrine falcon in all its grace and beauty as it plucks its prey from the air, feeds its young, and soars over natural landscapes and urban settings in many parts of the world. The accompanying text describes the peregrine's place in mythology, its persecution and its lifestyle."

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Peregrine Falcons

Roy Dennis

Colin Baxter Photography / Worldlife Library

1991

A 48 page monograph on the peregrine falcon in Britain with 26 colour photographs.

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Peregrine Falcon Populations: Their Management and Recovery

Editors: Tom J. Cade, James H. Enderson, Carl G. Thelander, Clayton M. White

The Peregrine Fund

1988

The proceedings of the 1985 Sacramento Conference on Peregrine biology, which assessed the worldwide status of the Peregrine 20 years after the Madison Conference which focused world attention on the decline of this species. The volume covers status of the species in the US, Europe and the rest of the world, results of studies on pesticide effects, ringing and population dynamics, and programmes for the species reintroduction and management.

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On Wing and Wild Water: New Encounters In A Last Wild Place

Mike Tomkies

Jonathan Cape

1987

".... Mike Tomkies undertook the most punishing yet most rewarding venture of his twenty years in the wilds. Recalling his years as a journalist in the international film world, he decided to buy his own movie camera and record single-handed the secret lives of three of the rarest and most spectacular birds in Britain. He had already discovered forty eyries of the elusive golden eagle in 300 square miles of trackless mountains surrounding his lochside home.

Even more rare among the protected birds over which he kept watch were the black-throated divers that return each year to raise their young in seclusion on an islet in the loch.

The peregrine falcons were more difficult to observe at close quarters; but no amount of patience and perseverance could compare with the tenacious determination it took to embark on the 'killer trek' to the farthest, most precipitous eagle eyrie with 50 lbs of filming equipment and a cumbersome hide on his back." (from the dust jacket)

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Hacking: A Method for Releasing Peregrine Falcons and Other Birds of Prey

Steve K. Sherrod, William R. Heinrich, William A. Burnham, John H. Barclay, and Tom J. Cade

The Peregrine Fund

1987

"Written by The Peregrine Fund biologists, this is an excellent guide for anyone working at hack sites or releasing birds of prey to the wild. It is filled with detailed information on the variety of release methods, steps in constructing a hack site, procedures for caring for falcons at the site, and much more."

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Working Bibliography of the Peregrine Falcon

Richard D. Porter, M.Alan Jenkins and Andrea L. Gaski

National Wildlife Federation

1987

National Wildlife Federation Scientific & Technical Series No. 9, in cooperation with The Peregrine Fund, Inc.

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The Peregrines of the Lake District

M.J. Dawson

Oriel Stringer

1985

A survey of the numbers of the peregrine falcon over the last 100 years in the English Lake District and the nearby Pennines, with a list of over 80 eyries.

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The Peregrine Falcon

Derek A. Ratcliffe

Illustrations: Donald Watson

Poyser

1980 (2nd edition 1993)

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.

Contents: The Peregrine and Man; The Peregrine's Country; Population Trends; Distribution and Numbers; Food and Feeding Habits; Nesting Habitat; The Breeding Cycle; Movements and Migration; Breeding Density and Territory; Population Regulation and Dynamics; Ecological Relationships with Other Birds; The Pesticide Story; Other Enemies; Appearance, Form, And Geographical Variation; Conservation.

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The Peregrine Falcon in Greenland: Observing an Endangered Species

James T. Harris

University of Missouri Press

1979

An account of research studying Peregrines in West Greenland. Also includes wider ranging sections on the history and biology of the Peregrine and the effects of pesticide contamination on Peregrine populations.

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The Private Life of the Peregrine Falcon

R B Treleaven

Headland Publications

1977

A study of a breeding pair of Peregrines in Cornwall.

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Peregrine Falcon Populations: Their Biology and Decline

Editor: Joseph Hickey

University of Wisconsin Press

1969

"During the years 1950 to 1965, a population crash of nesting peregrine falcons occurred in parts of Europe and North America on a scale that made it one of the most remarkable events in environmental biology. This book, in part an eyewitness account, presents the papers and discussions of a conference held by the University of Wisconsin from 29 August to 1 September 1965 to crystallize and evaluate some practical hypotheses to account for this extraordinary phenomenon."

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The Peregrine

J. A. Baker

William Collins

1967

"With no prior knowledge of birds, Baker is seized with an unexplained longing to track the peregrine falcons that hunt in the river valley behind his home each winter. Though his subjects are far more elusive than the pigeons and gulls on which they prey, on rare occasions he sees a peregrine roosting or bathing, or spots a fresh kill in the grass. He outlines their strict hunting ethos and as the winter approaches, he resolves to shun the world of men in fierce pursuit of the falcon's inner life. As the landscape thaws, Baker shares the hawk's absolute terror in the face of the stumbling, erratic human beings encroaching on its territory. Veering swiftly from the mundane to the miraculous, Baker's self-effacing diary of a long winter in the wild is a triumph of pure and immediate description."

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The Peregrine Falcon At The Eyrie

Francis Heatherley

Country Life

1913

Opening lines: "Now that the Sea Eagle and the Osprey are extinct, mainly through the depredations of egg - collectors, and the Golden Eagle is only tolerated in parts of Scotland where sportsmen find the bird useful in thinning down the grouse and hares that interfere with deer-stalking, the Peregrine Falcon is the grandest bird of prey we have left in England. The following account is based on field notes made during three successive springs at the same eyrie, and as their full relation involves a lot of monotonous reiteration, I will try and combine the salient facts of all three years in their proper order, so as to give a connected account from the date of hatching to the time when the young leave the eyrie."

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Last updated June 2014