Widespread in North American forest regions including the Rocky Mountains, the Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) was once the most numerous predatory bird in Eurasian boreal forests. Synthesising the results of unique long-term studies of Boreal Owls, this book explores hunting modes, habitats and foods, prey interactions, mating and parental care, reproduction, dispersal, survival and mortality, population regulation and conservation in boreal forests. Providing a detailed introduction to the species, the authors study the complex interactions of Boreal Owls with their prey species. They examine the inter-sexual tug-of-war over parental care, and the behavioural and demographic adaptations to environmental conditions that predictably and markedly fluctuate both seasonally and multi-annually. They also question whether Boreal Owls are able to time their reproductive effort to maximise lifetime reproductive success. Discussing the effect of modern forestry practices on owl populations, the book also examines how Boreal Owls could be managed to sustain viable populations.
With enthusiasm and sincerity biologist Soren Bondrup-Nielsen recalls his experience as a graduate student in the 1970s researching the Boreal Owl in northern Ontario and Alberta. After receiving his BSc in the spring of 1974, Bondrup-Nielsen travels by train to Kapuskasing to begin his study of this tiny, elusive species, cousin to the Tengmalm's Owl of Scandinavia. Though initially dissuaded by his supervisor, the author sets about recording the owl's call and locating individual territories. On cross-country skis, pulling a toboggan of supplies, Bondrup-Nielsen begins his first field season with reason for optimism, recording two distinct calls and being struck in the head by a male Boreal within his first week. After repairing to the nearby logging camp (Camp 86) where the food is plentiful and the beds much warmer than his tent, Bondrup-Nielsen continues his research to the great amusement of the cutting crew and camp staff. Taking the first photos of the owls, learning to differentiate between male and female calls, and observing mating behaviour, he finishes the season having located ten males on territories. In subsequent field seasons, Bondrup-Nielsen completes his graduate research. The book details his experimental tracking and recording methods, including telemetry, homemade traps, and a recording device fashioned out of an alarm clock, some tinfoil and a sewing needle. Bondrup-Nielsen's inquiring mind and passion for both winter and the outdoors bring an infectious sense of adventure to his fieldwork. His studies are punctuated by close encounters with coyotes, bears and a moose, glimpses of the Aurora Borealis, first love and self-discovery. With some of the author's original journal entries, notes and sketches, A Sound Like Water Dripping captures the beginning of what continues to be a committed and inspiring dedication to the study of ecology. "Owls seem to hold a fascination for just about everyone," says Bondrup-Nielsen. "Maybe it's their appearance: We see ourselves reflected in their faces. Their beaks resemble our noses and their big eyes, similar to ours, look forward, with eyelids that close from above, unlike other birds whose eyelids close from below. They seem to represent wisdom rather than reminding us of the fierce predators that they are. Owls also have ghost-like qualities, flying on silent wings, active mainly at night. In some cultures, owls are harbingers of death. In any case, there's something magical about them. I studied the Boreal Owl in northern Ontario and Alberta from 1974 to 1976, and am still approached by naturalist societies with invitations to talk about this small northern owl so few people have ever seen. In my teaching, as well, when I get a chance to talk about my research on owls the whole class listens intently. Thus, after I had finished my first book, Winter on Diamond, I felt a longing for the solitary but exciting experience of disappearing into my head again, this time to relive my discovery of the Boreal Owl."
An avid birder with a well-earned reputation for spotting birds, Bob has a natural talent for counseling high school drama queens and an unfortunate knack of discovering dead bodies. Bob has set his sights on finding the elusive Boreal Owl in the Superior National Forest, but when he stumbles across a corpse instead, his hunt for the owl becomes entangled with a shady tree supplier, an environmental activist who looks like his mother, academic rivalries, and dangerous deer hooves.
Short listed for the Green Earth book award In early April, as Owen and his sister search the hickories, oaks, and dogwoods for returning birds, a huge group of birds leaves the misty mountain slopes of the Yucatan peninsula for the 600-mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico to their summer nesting grounds. One of them is a Cerulean warbler. He will lose more than half his body weight even if the journey goes well. Aloft over the vast ocean, the birds encourage each other with squeaky chirps that say, “We are still alive. We can do this.” Owen’s family watches televised reports of a great storm over the Gulf of Mexico, fearing what it may mean for migrating songbirds. In alternating spreads, we wait and hope with Owen, then struggle through the storm with the warbler. This moving story with its hopeful ending appeals to us to preserve the things we love. The backmatter includes a North American bird migration map, birding information for kids, and guidance for how native plantings can transform yards into bird and wildlife habitat.
"For anyone who appreciates wild things and wild places, each of Paul Bannick's stunning photographs is worth ten thousand words." - Ted Williams, Audubon--Moira Macdonald "The Birding Wire"
A New York Times Notable Book of 2020 Longlisted for the National Book Award Winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and the Minnesota Book Award for General Nonfiction A Finalist for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award Winner of the Peace Corps Worldwide Special Book Award A Best Book of the Year: NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, The Globe and Mail, The BirdBooker Report, Geographical, Open Letter Review Best Nature Book of the Year: The Times (London) "A terrifically exciting account of [Slaght's] time in the Russian Far East studying Blakiston’s fish owls, huge, shaggy-feathered, yellow-eyed, and elusive birds that hunt fish by wading in icy water . . . Even on the hottest summer days this book will transport you.” —Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk, in Kirkus I saw my first Blakiston’s fish owl in the Russian province of Primorye, a coastal talon of land hooking south into the belly of Northeast Asia . . . No scientist had seen a Blakiston’s fish owl so far south in a hundred years . . . When he was just a fledgling birdwatcher, Jonathan C. Slaght had a chance encounter with one of the most mysterious birds on Earth. Bigger than any owl he knew, it looked like a small bear with decorative feathers. He snapped a quick photo and shared it with experts. Soon he was on a five-year journey, searching for this enormous, enigmatic creature in the lush, remote forests of eastern Russia. That first sighting set his calling as a scientist. Despite a wingspan of six feet and a height of over two feet, the Blakiston’s fish owl is highly elusive. They are easiest to find in winter, when their tracks mark the snowy banks of the rivers where they feed. They are also endangered. And so, as Slaght and his devoted team set out to locate the owls, they aim to craft a conservation plan that helps ensure the species’ survival. This quest sends them on all-night monitoring missions in freezing tents, mad dashes across thawing rivers, and free-climbs up rotting trees to check nests for precious eggs. They use cutting-edge tracking technology and improvise ingenious traps. And all along, they must keep watch against a run-in with a bear or an Amur tiger. At the heart of Slaght’s story are the fish owls themselves: cunning hunters, devoted parents, singers of eerie duets, and survivors in a harsh and shrinking habitat. Through this rare glimpse into the everyday life of a field scientist and conservationist, Owls of the Eastern Ice testifies to the determination and creativity essential to scientific advancement and serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty, strength, and vulnerability of the natural world.
An intimate blend of personal field notes, rich natural history, and stunning photographs in the wild, this perfect holiday book for all bird-watchers provides an in-depth look at two of our most iconic--and important-- bird species. Great for photography lovers, conservationists and backyard enthusiasts alike, it includes an overview map of habitats and a foreword by award-winning artist and writer Tony Angell.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.
This fascinating and beautiful guide provides detailed information and over 160 striking photos and drawings of four species of small mountain owls found in America's Rocky Mountains, with special focus on the inhabitants of the Rocky Mountains National Park: the Flammulated Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and Boreal Owl. The lives and ranges of these tiny predators are detailed, including information concerning their anatomy, coloration, vocalizations, ranges, courtship and nesting behaviors, egg laying, fledgling raising, hunting habits, diets, mortality, longevity, and much more. The engaging text reflects the author's passion for these tiny owls, some small enough to perch comfortably on a number two pencil, and provides details about the recovery and restoration to health of injured small mountain owls. The book ends with a useful glossary of scientific names and a detailed bibliography. This book will be a treasured reference for anyone interested in the avian world.
A unique look at the boreal forest, Earth’s vast and vital wilderness. The boreal forest, the planet’s largest land biome, spans the northern regions like “a scarf around the neck of the world.” Besides providing homes for many species, the forest’s influence is far-reaching: its trees and wetlands clean our air and water and are helping slow global climate change. In this evocative tour, a lyrical fictional narrative is paired with informational sidebars that describe life in the forest throughout the year, from one country to another. One of the world’s most magnificent regions comes to vivid life through the art of storytelling.
