Forlagets egen omtale:
With
its colourful beak and fast, whirring flight, the Atlantic Puffin is the most
recognisable and popular of all North Atlantic seabirds. Puffins spend most of
the year at sea, but for a few months of the year the come to shore, nesting in
burrows on steep cliffs or on inaccessible islands. Awe-inspiring numbers of
these birds can sometimes be seen bobbing on the sea or flying in vast wheels
over the colony, bringing fish in their beaks back to the chicks. However, the
species has declined sharply over the last decade; this is due to a collapse in
fish stocks caused by overfishing and global warming, combined with an
exponential increase in Pipefish (which can kill the chicks).
The Puffin is a revised and expanded second edition of Poyser’s 1984 title on
these endearing birds, widely considered to be a Poyser classic. It includes
sections on their affinities, nesting and incubation, movements, foraging
ecology, survivorship, predation, and research methodology; particular attention
is paid to conservation, with the species considered an important
‘indicator’ of the health of our coasts.
Mike
Harris is one of the best-known seabird biologists in Britain today. Formerly a
warden on Skokholm Island, his research on auks and other species has led to
ecological research in places such as the Isle of May, St Kilda and the Galápagos
Islands. His successful career was acknowledged by the award of the prestigious
BOU Godman-Salvin Medal for distinguished ornithological work in 2006.
