Our Love of Owls (Our Love of Wildlife) - Hardcover

Tekiela, Stan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1591938139 ISBN 13: 9781591938132

Publisher: Adventure Publications, 2018

Synopsis

The Intelligent Owl: A Symbol of Knowledge and Mystery

Beautiful and mysterious, owls have entranced people throughout history. It is a rare delight to glimpse any owl, from the powerful Great Gray Owl to the tiny Elf Owl. Acclaimed naturalist and award-winning wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela shares his up-close-and-personal images as he presents the amazing lives of these nocturnal predators. Anyone who appreciates the wonders of nature will treasure this spectacular collection of stunning wildlife photographs and the amazing natural history of owls.

About this title

About the Author:

Naturalist, wildlife photographer and writer Stan Tekiela is the author of more than 175 field guides, nature books, children’s books, wildlife audio CDs, puzzles and playing cards, presenting many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, trees, wildflowers and cacti in the United States. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural History from the University of Minnesota and as an active professional naturalist for more than 25 years, Stan studies and photographs wildlife throughout the United States and Canada. He has received various national and regional awards for his books and photographs. Also a well-known columnist and radio personality, his syndicated column appears in more than 25 newspapers and his wildlife programs are broadcast on a number of Midwest radio stations. Stan can be followed on Facebook and Twitter. He can be contacted via www.naturesmart.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Hunting to Survive

An owl must hunt and kill prey in order to eat. Not all owls hunt at night, though. Many hunt during the day and can see slight movements from amazing distances. Owls usually watch prey move for a few seconds before they attack. Several strong wingbeats send them on the trajectory to their next meal. At the last second, they swing their large, powerful feet out in front to catch the prey.

While cold winter nights and snow-covered landscapes represent a big challenge for nearly all wildlife, winter is normally a time of plenty for owls. Populations of mice, voles, shrews and other small animals boom over the summer. By early winter, the numbers are peaking. Rodents use snow like a blanket to hide their movements, but owls can detect sound through snow and locate them. Owls spend hours sitting, looking and listening for rodents. At the faint sound of a critter under snow, an owl will launch out to grab it.

The World through Their Eyes

Owl eyes face forward like ours, but unlike our round eyeballs, theirs are tubular. Compared to their heads, their eyes are huge. In some species, the weight of their eyes is more than that of their brain! Their eyes are actually too large to move within the sockets. Instead, owls are able to swivel their heads to about 270 degrees left or right, thanks to the extra vertebra in their necks. This gives them a much greater range of sight than we have, even when we move our eyes and turn our heads at the same time.

Many owls can see two to three times better than people, but the way they see and perceive the world is very different. Northern Hawk Owls and many other daytime-hunting owls are fast fliers. It has been shown that they acquire focus, called accommodation, at about 100 times per second. This is more than 10 times faster than we can focus. No wonder owls can zip through a forest but not run into small branches!

About this edition

• Publisher: Adventure Publications
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1591938139
• ISBN 13: 9781591938132
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 48