North American Owls: Journey Through a Shadowed World

Rating:
Summary: Journey
Review: Instead of creating another field guide, bird photographer Jim Burns has approached writing this book from a different angle. Covering 19 species of North American owls, he sets about describing his own personal observations and experiences with each species in a "journal of owling". His style of writing brings forth the mysterious and illusive side of owls and owling, creating in the reader a sense of desire to experience the owls as he did.
The writings for each species are accompanied by beautiful photographs, including wing detail from above and below. There is also a brief statistics table for each species covering description, size, vocalization, nesting, movements, habits, range and habitat.
Accompanying the Book is short audio CD containing the calls of each of the species in the book. Generally, it is the main call, but several tracks have alternative songs as well. For this reason, it would have been good to have a more detailed track listing than the one provided in the book.
Overall, "North American Owls, a Journey through a Shadowed World" is a splendid experience for any owl lover, and is likely to draw all readers to this unique bird family.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Photographs
Review: Mr. Burns has done a wonderful job in putting together this book for use by either a layman or a serious birdwatcher. I had the fortune to meet Jim and his wife Deva and they are fascinating people. Jim came across as very knowledgeable not just about owls, but about North American birds in general. His photography is superb despite the inherent difficulty of photographing owls. And the accompanying narrative is a delight to follow. Kudos to Mr. Burns for succeeding admirably on a challenging topic!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Photographs
Review: Mr. Burns has done a wonderful job in putting together this book for use by either a layman or a serious birdwatcher. I had the fortune to meet Jim and his wife Deva and they are fascinating people. Jim came across as very knowledgeable not just about owls, but about North American birds in general. His photography is superb despite the inherent difficulty of photographing owls. And the accompanying narrative is a delight to follow. Kudos to Mr. Burns for succeeding admirably on a challenging topic!

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating information, background, lore, & unique insights
Review: Showcasing the impressive photography of Jim Burns (a bird photographer of over 20 years experience), North American Owls: Journey Through A Shadowed World is a truly beautiful coffee table book that brings the reader on a wondrous journey of discovery of owls of all shapes, sizes, and habitats. North American Owls offers the reader an incredible wealth of fascinating information, background, lore, and unique insights -- including the "two rules of owling": owls never appear when and where they are expected, and owls always appear when and where they are least expected. An accompanying audio CD offers a collection of owl calls to listen for. Highly recommended for personal and community library ornithology collections, North American Owls is a simply superb giftbook selection -- especially for dedicated birdwatchers.