The Owl and the Woodpecker: Encounters With North America's Most Iconic Birds (With Audio CD) [Hardcover]

Paul Bannick (Author), Tony Angell (Foreword), Martyn Stewart (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2008

Every wild place and urban area in North America hosts an owl or a woodpecker species, while healthy natural places often boast representatives of both. The diversity of these two families of birds, and the ways in which they define and enrich the ecosystems they inhabit, are the subject of this vivid new book by photographer and naturalist Paul Bannick.

The Owl and the Woodpecker showcases a sense of these birds' natural rhythms, as well as the integral spirit of our wild places. Based on hundreds of hours in the field photographing these fascinating and wily birds, Bannick evokes all 41 North American species of owls and woodpeckers, across 11 key habitats. And by revealing the impact of two of our most iconic birds, Bannick has created a wholly unique approach to birding and conservation. * Perfect holiday book for all bird-watchers * An in-depth look at two of our most iconic--and important--bird species * Great for photography lovers, conservationists, and backyard enthusiasts alike * Includes a foreword by award-winning artist and writer Tony Angell

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Owl and the Woodpecker is a monumental work of photojournalism by one of North America's top wildlife photographers. The images you'll encounter in this book are the result of an encyclopedic knowledge of birds and their habitats, an intense love of nature, and endless patience. For anyone who appreciates wild things and wild places, each of Bannick's stunning photographs is worth ten thousand words. --Ted Williams Audubon magazine

The Owl and the Woodpecker is a monumental work of photojournalism by one of North America's top wildlife photographers. The images you'll encounter in this book are the result of an encyclopedic knowledge of birds and their habitats, an intense love of nature, and endless patience. For anyone who appreciates wild things and wild places, each of Bannick's stunning photographs is worth ten thousand words. --Ted Williams, Audubon magazine

"Readers will gain a better appreciation for the complex lives of these birds." --The Bellingham Herald

"What a glorious book! Paul Bannick's photographs reveal the startling beauty and complex survival strategies of the owl and the woodpecker, North America's most charismatic--and crucial--cavity-nesting birds. These are images to savor again and again." --Bruce Barcott

"I find it hard to pull my eyes away from the absolutely stunning photography... This book will appeal to any birder, and really anybody simply interested in nature and how it's inhabitants' affect, and are affected by it. But if you are a fanatic about either or both families [of bird], this is definitely a book that you will want to add to your library." --Picas Blog

Review

"The Owl and the Woodpecker pretty much blew me away with the jaw dropping, envy-inducing quality of the photos... [This is] as good as it gets with bird photography, razor sharp and with great detail, great composition, and telling a great story."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books; Har/Com edition (October 31, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159485095X
• ISBN-13: 978-1594850950
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning!, September 2, 2008

By 

Magwhls "Maggie Rufo" (Novato, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Owl and the Woodpecker: Encounters With North America's Most Iconic Birds (With Audio CD) (Hardcover)

What a beautiful book! The text is well-written and educational. It explains the connections and ecology and habitat needs of these species beautifully. And after reading it I clearly understand how these two families of birds are connected and how important the woodpeckers are to so many other species, as well as the health of habitats. I am an owloholic and I learned some new things about owls from this book.

The photographs are simply stunning. What I like about them is that they are action shots. So many photos of birds, especially owls, are of the birds perched and looking beautiful. And those are great. But, Paul's book has AMAZING active shots of owls being owls and woodpeckers being woodpeckers and that is what makes it stand out from other books. I can only imagine how many hours he put in to get some of the intimate shots of the birds. We are the lucky readers who get to reap the results of all that hard work. This book is a great addition to a birder's and/or naturalist's library and would be a great gift for either!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and Beautiful Book, September 19, 2008

By 

Tish Thornton (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Owl and the Woodpecker: Encounters With North America's Most Iconic Birds (With Audio CD) (Hardcover)

The sound of an owl calling in the middle of the night really does seem like a secret and private invitation, an irresistible beckoning from a different world. This book holds the key to that world, detailing a relationship between owls and woodpeckers, and its far-flung consequences among many other species, which I found unexpected and complex. The beautiful photos are intimate--the comic and vulnerable "old man" faces of a family of baby owls; a nobbly trophy wall of hundreds of glossy nuts embedded in the soft trunk of a dead tree--and loving. The text is full of satisfying detail about the habits of all the species of owls and woodpeckers found in the Pacific Northwest. Finally, the cd in the back features the calls of some 40 species, which I loved because it helped me identify the screech owl who woke me up last night. A really gorgeous book that all bird enthusiasts will appreciate. The photos alone are engrossing.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intimate Moments Shared ... in pictures, words and sounds, September 29, 2008

By 

Karla Hart (Alaska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Owl and the Woodpecker: Encounters With North America's Most Iconic Birds (With Audio CD) (Hardcover)

The photos in this book are so stunning that my first several passes through are National Geographic style - studying pictures and reading the captions. The author/photographer has captured actions I've witnessed, but never been able to really see.

Finally, I settled in for the read. I enjoy the habitat-based chapters as an organizational framework and I went first to the habitats with which I'm most familiar. The author combines a breadth of information on the birds, their habitat and conservation issues, and his experience observing and photographing them. At first this felt choppy, but then I embraced it in the context of his discovery of birds and photography as a child (shared in the introduction). He is offering mentoring through his text. Not all aspects will immediately resonate with each reader, but many seeds will be planted and some sparks will catch (be prepared to invest in binocular, camera, and trips to nature next).

The CD offers the owl and woodpecker calls and songs presented in a manner familiar to birders for identification and study.

I expect that this book will launch more than a few new birders, starting them first with two charismatic families of birds. When I am through admiring my copy, I'll pass it along to a young person (middle school through high school) and follow up with an invitation to go birding when the owls start calling.