Out now - Tim Mackrill's authoritative account of the life and times of a most remarkable raptor

Tim Mackrill with his authoritative book that is now available for sale

GOOD luck to Tim Mackrill with sales of his newly published title, The Osprey 

Persecuted mercilessly in Britain, the species  was almost completely eradicated by the early twentieth century. 

However, it has made a much-celebrated comeback, returning initially (and famously) to Loch Garten in Scotland in the 1950s. 

The recovery of the bird has been slow, but reintroduction programmes at Rutland Water and Poole Harbour have been successful, and this remarkable raptor is now an increasingly common sight in our skies.

The Osprey looks at the distribution, foraging ecology, breeding behaviour and population dynamics of this spectacular bird, with emphasis placed on conservation efforts in Britain, as well as elsewhere in Europe and North America and in the species' African wintering grounds. 

It also tells the story of Osprey migration and the remarkable journeys of individual birds across oceans and deserts, the study of which has been greatly aided by advances in satellite tracking technology.

The Osprey is published by T & A D Poyser (part of Bloomsbury) at £60 in hardback and £35 in paperback.