Raptor Research and Management Techniques

This is the much antici-pated and thoroughly updated version of the popular but long out of print "Raptor Management Techniques Manual". Produced by the Raptor Research Foundation, this is a compre-hensive work designed for use by raptor researchers and conserva-tionists and natural-resource managers around the world. Each chapter has been authored by experts in the field and has undergone rigorous review. Not an all-inclusive manual or detailed "how-to" book, this new work reflects the state of the art in raptor research, with up-to-date information on various techniques, and numerous references to additional sources for details and cautions regarding various field and laboratory techniques and management tools. Beginning with a general review of the field of raptor research, it includes insights into field-study techniques, information on the energetics, physiology, pathology, and toxicology of raptors; it cov-ers reduction of management and researcher disturbance, mitiga-tion, population monitoring at migration watchsites, captive breed-ing, the augmentation of wild populations, and rehabilitation, and concludes with chapters on public education and legal considerations. This book will enhance standardisation in the field, speed improvement in techniques and help those who study and manage birds to better protect them.

Table of Contents:
Preface; The Raptor Literature; Raptor Identification, Ageing, and Sexing; Systematics; Study Design, Data Management, Analysis, and Presentation; Survey Techniques; Migration Counts and Monitoring; Behavioral Studies; Food Habits; Habitat Sampling; Accessing Nests; Assessing Nesting Success and Productivity; Capture Techniques; Marking Techniques; Spatial Tracking - Radio Tracking; Satellite Tracking; Stable Isotopes and Trace Elements; Energetics; Physiology Gastrointestinal; Hematological; Reproductive; Pathology Disease; Ectoparasites; Endoparasites; Toxicology; Reducing Management and Research Disturbance; Mitigation; Captive Breeding; Augmenting Wild Populations and Food Resources; Rehabilitation; Public Education; Legal Considerations; Index.

About the Author :
David Bird is a professor of wildlife biology and director of the Avian Science and Conservation Centre of McGill University. He is the author of City Critters: How to Live with Urban Wildlife and The Bird Almanac. He is a regular columnist on birds for the Montreal Gazette and Bird Watcher's Digest.

Review :
Review by: John E Cooper Professor of Veterinary Pathology University of the West Indies 03.01.09 Hancock House is a Canadian/US printing house that is rapidly developing a reputation for producing high-quality books on birds of prey (raptors) the Order Falconiformes (hawks, falcons, eagles, vultures and their allies), and the Order Strigiformes (owls). Raptor Research and Management Techniques is the successor to, and essentially a second and thoroughly updated version of, Raptor Management Techniques Manual that was edited by David Bird and others in 1987 and which for two decades served as an authoritative guide for biologists and others who work with these species. This new book is advertised as being designed for use by raptor researchers, conservationists and natural resource managers. This designation of readership is absolutely correct, but to it should be added veterinarians who treat raptors or who are involved in research projects on these or other avian species. There are, in this context, chapters on physiology, pathology and toxicology as well as on more applied topics such as capture and handling of birds, making it of both theoretical and practical value to many veterinarians. Raptor Research and Management Techniques has an international orientation in its approach and authorship and, of particular relevance to this review, two of the contributors are currently based in the West Indies. To summarize, the book covers one major group of birds, the raptors. These species are at the top of the food chain and thereby serve as important environmental sentinels; they are therefore subject to intensive study and research in many parts of the world, including Central and South America. In the USA, Canada, Europe and some other countries the keeping of birds of prey in captivity - in particular, the care and rehabilitation of casualties - is popular and widespread. Modern veterinarians therefore need to have some knowledge of the natural history and care of these birds and where to go for further information. In comparing the book to Raptors in Captivity which is a very practically orientated work that concentrates primarily on the care and management of these birds. Raptor Research and Management Techniques should be considered the scientific thesis, with a strong emphasis on biology and avian science.