Falcons

Falcons have been a source of inspiration to writers, artists, historians and naturalists alike.

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.

Reviews

'One of the best New Naturalists on birds, and one that is likely to remain the last word on British falcons for a long time.' British Wildlife

‘An in-depth, rigorous analysis of the four British breeding falcons […]. A must for the bookshelves of any raptor-loving hardened ornithologist.’ Bird Watching

‘A wonderful addition to the remarkable New Naturalist Library. […] we get the benefit of Richard Sale’s own vital research, especially in a fascinating chapter on the birds’ hunting techniques.’ BBC Wildlife

Praise for the New Naturalist series:

‘Taken either individually or as a whole, they are one of the proudest achievements of modern publishing’ The Sunday Times

‘The series is an amazing achievement’ The Times Literary Supplement

‘The books are glorious to own’ Independent

About the author

Richard Sale is a physicist, with a PhD in astrophysics. After working as a glaciologist in Switzerland and then in the UK power industry he gave up fulltime physics for his first loves – birds and the Arctic. He has written and taken photographs for many books, including To the Ends of the Earth: The History of Polar Exploration, which was the 2003 UK Outdoor Writers Guild Best Book on an Outdoor Theme, and The Gyrfalcon (Popatov and Sale), which was the US Wildlife Society’s Book of the Year for 2006. While working on the latter he noted that the falcons were not stooping in straight lines, which formed the basis for the work covered in one chapter of this book. He is currently working towards a second PhD, in zoology, with studies on Merlins.