Special issue of Ostrich in memory of Philip Hockey

Following the sad and untimely passing of Phil Hockey in January 2013, BirdLife South Africa suggested that a special issue of Ostrich be published in memory of Philip Hockey as a leading and influential African ornithologist. 

Doctor Rob Little, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, was invited to act as Associate Editor for these special issues (Volume 86(1&2)) and he found it a pleasure and an honour to work with a variety of contributing authors, all of whom made a special effort to submit exemplary manuscripts either co-authored by Hockey or within the focus areas of his research career. 

The respect of Hockey’s contributions to ornithology attracted 20 papers for this special issue, 15 with the Fitz’s address and 12 including Hockey as a co-author. There are eight papers on coastal bird ecology, four on avian life history evolution and habitat dynamics, three investigating avian responses to climate change, three on waterbird movements, one on the population metrics of Fynbos birds and a final note on the discovery of a breeding population of Blue Petrels Halobaena caerulea on Gough Island.

The editorial on the issue is free to view permanently while five papers can be accessed for free until the end of June here.

Photograph: Philip Hockey (right) in conversation with David Attenborough during the latter’s visit to the FitzPatrick Institute in March 2011. 

Photograph Credit: Chris Tobler.