Owls of the World [antikvár]

FOREWORD Eric Hosking, o.h.e. HON. F.R.P S., IM l.P., I'./ S. 0\\ 1 s ha\ k al.w .\^ .s occiipicd a spL-cial placc in our l uhuic. The tamiliar lixurc of ihc owl is probably the.- mosl readily icicncifialilc liird to ihc a\crajic iH)n-ornithologisl, and is frcqucnth-rcprcsL-mcd in man\- forms: in the Bililc, in art, as a bird of ill-omcn in ,ShakL-s]x-arc, as Merlin's familiar, as the symbol of Athene, G<>dde,ss of Wisdom, and of course as tlie well lov-ed character of'VCof in \Vi,n,U--llx-l'nob. \eross a n ide range of cultures, from /Mioriginal to liskimo, owls are seen traditionally as wise. m> sterious reatiires set apart from other birds. My n fa,scination for owls was established long ago, back in the days of my earliest ob,ser\ ati()ns of the Tawny Owls which nested in trees in playing fields near niN- bin hood home. Owls are, 1 confess, m;- favourite liirds and without doubt those which ha\'e brought me the greatest pleasure. The highlights of a lifetime in photograpln- ha\e ustially been associated with them: m\' first thrilling experiments with flash pht)tograph\' in the thirties and forties, whicli led to my well known photograph of a Barn Owl in heraldic attitude, one of Inindrcds taken in llight: the sheer elation of ob,scr\ ing the ,\frican .Marsh Owl at close quarters in Zimbab-ae; photographing a splendid baby Eagle Owl in the Telki Hills of Hungary: and perh:ips most exciting of all, my )rk photographing the ,Snowy Owls in the Shetlands in 196", wlien a pair bred for the'first recorded time in the Uritish Isles, Photographing owls has taken me around the world, through Europe and bej-ond to Africa, Australia and Nc^^¦ Zealand, and the Seychelles, It also cost me an e\'c, VChlle climbing into a hide in the dark where 1 had been photographing Taw nies. 1 experienced a sudden heavy blow to ni\- face and a .scaring pain in my left e\e - an .urate strike by a silent, unseen Taw ii\, This led to the Liltual loss of the eye - but not to any lo,ss of respect for the owl, which was. :iftcr all, onl>' protecting its nest, returned the following yc:ir to phottjgraph the bird. Any !:)hotographcr or observer of birds faces a dilcmnra: pursuing his interest, while recognizing that he is the risk of disturbing the bird or of attracting the ong kind of interest from predators t)r tither people. I hope that m\' own desire to share my enthusiasm and knowledge of ow ls has also helped to promote their [i.ser\ ation and protection. This book will. 1 hope, courage the same respon.se. One of my mtrst satisfying .•olleetions is of the part played b\' my work in protecting the Little Owl. Gamekeepers would insist th;it game chicks were its main prc\', while ornithologists maintained it was primarily an insect e:iter. Detailed study of my series of photographs of Little Owls, taken in central Wales, revealed their diet to consist almost exclusiveh' of invertebrates; not a single game chick was recorded. Such photographic informatitin has helped alter the attitudes of those who manage our countryside. The owl is under threat WDrldwide from man's destruction of its natural habitat and nesting sites, from the elimination of its natural pre\' by the increased use of ]X'stieides and from poisoning and hunting. The Barn Owl. for example, has suffered greatly in recent years from the destruction of iiollow trees and tuiribletlow n barns where it nests, as the process of 'modernizing' the countryside continues, \\)le-rich, rough grasslands have disappeared under the plough, forcing the birds to hunt along roadside \ ergcs w here they are often draw n fatalb into the slipstream of passing vehicles. The Barn Owl has also been particularly prone to the poisonous effccts of chemical pesticides. Yet owls arc generally beneficial to man - none is harmful and in man\- places they help to control pests such as rats and mice, Otmserv'ationists are wtirking to redress the balance. In ,|apan, Blakiston's Fish Owl was reduced to just 50 birds by l9«-i and only two ]jairs bred. The old forests in which the>' nest were being rapidly felled, A crash programme tt) erect nest boxes has succcssfulK- halted Sadh-, howex er, the overall ,le is still downwards - thc\ the decline in numbers trend for owls worldwi need our help. Some owls have pro' changing habitat: Tawr city parks as the counti Airfield authorities in C in the number of Short grass between the runv discourage the gulls wf Inadvertently they crea rodents, and the owls \ Part of the attract surprising variety -modern the huge Owls, Equ; nesting site tundra, hoi nests of thi .1 particularly adaptable tt) a s, for example, ha\-e taken to ide recedes. The \'ancouver ad:i reported a massive increas. ired Owls, when they allowed ¦s to grow tall, in an attempt to h were a hazard to ;iircraft, 'ated an ideal habitat for small were t|uiek tt> lake advantage, n of owls for me lies in their iriety - over 150 species catalogued in the •Id, ranging in size from the tin\ Elf Ow 1, to ,1 magnificent Fishing, Snowy and Eagle 1>- interesting is the range of habitats and :cu[-)y - from the treeless, Arctic : Snowy Owl, to the underground ing Owl beneath the hot American the of tlK Bti But perhaps the awe-inspiring abil wings, pinpointing their sight and hearing. There special magic, one w hich 1 am book will discoi er for tliemsef fascinating hook. ost thrilling a,specl of owls is their to fly and hunt at night - t)n silent y with their phenomenal lo doubt that owls have a that readers of this This reallv is a