The Screech Owl Companion: Everything You Need to Know about These Beneficial Raptors

by Jim Wright, Scott Weston

This must-read for birders features a complete guide to attracting, understanding, and protecting owls. 

The call of an owl evokes mystery; seeing one in the wild inspires wonder. Of the top ten birds people hope to see, three are owls. Although they may be out of sight, owls are widespread throughout North America—and screech owls are the most likely to make their homes near humans. In this book, experts Jim Wright and Scott Weston show you how to attract them to nest in your yard, year after year.

The Screech Owl Companion introduces screech owls, show how to distinguish them from other species, shares fun lore and legend, and provides step-by-step instructions for making your yard screech ready. You’ll learn how to build a nest box and install a simple nest cam that you can monitor from your cell phone to watch when owls move in, lay eggs, and hatch.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Birds

228 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2023

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Screech Owl Companion is a superb book with stunning photographs not only of the Screech Owl but other owls such as Northern Hawk Owl, Elf Owl and Spotted Owl. The photos of owlet fluffs tucked into their nest boxes are heartwarming. I love that geographical range maps, populations and vocalizations are included. Learning more about these wondrous creatures and their habitats is time well spent. An investment, actually.

The practical tips such as observing, attracting owls, predating, foods they eat as carnivores and their enemies (including toxins) are extremely helpful. The information on boxes, their placements and nestcams are intruguing. We have game cameras to watch wildlife in our yard but now I am inspired to invest in a mini cam to put into the box I am creating. Spotting my first (and only screech owl in the wild, so far) was momentous. The "hosting owls" wording hits me in the heart. Owl hosts' biggest surprises and advice are fun to read about. There is even a section on photographing owls!

Owl lovers, this book has your name on it! Pure unadulterated joy on each page.

My sincere thank you to Timber Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this stupendous book.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Screech Owl Companion by Jim Wright; Scott Weston is a book of knowledge for owl lovers. I often hike with a camera in hopes of seeing an owl. I have seen and photographed many barred and great horn owls in nature, but I have never seen a screech owl in the wild. I was glad to read more tips on how to spot habitats and signs of screech owls. The Screech Owl Companion includes instructions for building a nesting box. I have one now on our property, so hopefully an owl will find it soon.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Publication Date: October 17, 2023

[Diane Mendenhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given the opportunity to read this book via NetGalley. I enjoyed this book. The pictures were incredible and the content was informative. The main topic of the book was how to attract owls to your area and owl house and how to photograph them. I found it interesting but not something I am able to do at this time. The photos were really attractive. If you are interested in owls, this is an interesting book to look at; if you are wanting to attract owls to your area this is a good resource.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love owls, collect owls of any type and would like to attend a falconry course. This was a book that talked to my heart, made me learn a lot of thing, and was fascinated by the pictures
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Foggygirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, some the print was hard to read in the format I got from NetGalley but still interesting read.