Orison for a Curlew: In Search for a bird on the edge of extinction

by Horatio Clare

Overview

The slender-billed curlew, Numenius tenuirostris, "the slim beak of the new moon," is one of the world's rarest birds. It once bred in Siberia and wintered in the Mediterranean basin, passing through the wetlands and estuaries of Italy, Greece, the Balkans and Central Asia. Today, the slender-billed curlew only exists as a rumour, a ghost species surrounded by unconfirmed sightings and speculation. The only certainty is that it now stands on the edge of extinction.

This is a story of beauty, triumph and the struggles of conservation. It is a homage to a creature that may never be seen again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781908213334
Publisher:	Global Book Sales
Publication date:	09/13/2016
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Horatio Clare is a journalist, lecturer, broadcaster and an acclaimed author, whose books include Truant, The Prince’s Pen, A Single Swallow, Down to the Sea in Ships and Running for the Hills, which was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award and won the Somerset Maugham Award.

Table of Contents

Introduction to a Ghost 9

The (Only) Government Ornithologist 17

A Ringtone on the Axios 25

East to Evros 33

By Accident to Bulgaria 43

Myth-busting in Transylvania 49

According to Mr Ushakov 61

The Hero of the Danube Delta 67

Bursts of Hope in Bulgaria 77

Lesson from a Ghost 91

Acknowledgements 99