Roy Dennis, an ornithologist from Scotland and one of the world’s leading experts on Ospreys has recently published his new book, A Life Of Ospreys.
Part autobiography, part species monograph and part conservation success story, this book is a wonderful resource for everyone interested in Osprey or birds in general.
The Osprey is among the most popular birds in the UK, rivaled maybe only by the Red Kite and the spectacular White-tailed Eagle.
During the last 50 years, the Osprey population in Great Britain has risen from one single pair to about 200 in Scotland with some new pairs now also in England and Wales.

This book tells their story. Roy Dennis writes about the early days of his work with Ospreys, how much hard work he and others put into the protection of a very small population at the beginning of the recovery. He writes about the great excitement when the first chicks fledged and also about the disappointment when eggs were robbed (a common problem until the 1980ies).

Beside the story behind the successful recovery in Scotland, several chapters give a detailed description of the life and behavior of the Osprey. The author describes the breeding ecology, the annual migration, food, hunting and more. The chapter on migration is particularly interesting, especially when Roy Dennis explains all the new knowledge gained by the use of satellite transmitters.

Of course the book also covers the threats Ospreys currently face (chemical pollution, egg theft, wind farms and overfishing in the African winter quarters). After the threats a very interesting chapter explains how to protect ospreys, including ways to drive away egg thieves, how to build artificial nests and more. An extra chapter tells the story of the return of the Osprey to England and Wales (including the successful Rutland Water project).

At the end of the book, Roy Dennis also covers the current situation of Ospreys in other countries all over the world.

When reading the book, it’s obvious how much the author loves those amazing birds and how much he cares about them. Beside the main text, you find many personal field notes of Roy Dennis.

The writing of the book is very good and it is hard to put the book down.

The book has everything. A detailed description of the Osprey’s biology, many personal tales from the author himself and the encouraging story and proof that conservation does work when birds are protected and many dedicated people care about them.

This book is highly recommend for everyone interested in Osprey or raptors or birds in general.

Roy Dennis has created the Highland Foundation for Wildlife which works for the conservation of Ospreys and other birds like White-tailed Eagles, Golden Eagles and more. Be sure to visit his official website:
roydennis.org

Buy the book from amazon: