Africa has a particularly rich and magnificent array of birds of prey, making it one of the most exciting places in the world for raptor enthusiasts. The 80 southern African species depicted in this book are widely distributed throughout the continent and range in size from the huge Lappet-faced Vulture and Giant Eagle Owl to the diminutive Pygmy Falcon and Pearl-spotted Owl.
In 1982 Peter Steyns and Graeme Arnotts respective talents as author and artist were combined to create the standard reference work Birds of Prey of Southern Africa. However, the original plates for this were considerably reduced in size to fit the format of the book, inevitably resulting in a loss of quality. In Hunters of the African Sky these plates are being republished in a much larger format to reveal the full colour, detail and subtlety of the artwork. In addition, Graeme Arnott has supplemented the 24 original plates by painting ten new scenic plates specially for this publication; these splendidly evocative paintings depict a select group of raptors most of them in flight in their various habitats.
Peter Steyns general-interest text is intended primarily for the layman, but also draws attention to new information on southern African raptors published since 1982. It is also a plea for the conservation of our birds of prey and deals with the many threats that face them in a changing and shrinking environment.
Of particular interest is the chapter The Making of a Picture, an absorbing account of how the original plates for Birds of Prey of Southern Africa were completed over a period of six years, together with details of Graeme Arnotts painting techniques and the development of, and influences on, his style. Another unusual feature of Hunters of the African Sky is the inclusion of working drawings or feather-maps of recently dead birds. These anatomical studies, which provide the artist with a valuable source of reference material when working on paintings at a later stage, give the reader a fascinating insight into his techniques and skills.
Above all, this book is a celebration in picture and word of the magnificence and variety of our birds of prey the hunters of the African sky and will appeal not only to those who are fascinated by them and concerned for their future, but also to everyone who appreciates the talent and expertise of a remarkable bird artist.
