The House of Owls
For a quarter of a century, Tony Angell and his family shared the remarkable experience of closely observing pairs of western screech owls that occupied a nesting box outside the window of their forest home. The journals in which the author recorded his observations, along with the captivating drawings he created, form the heart of this compelling book-a personal account of an artist-naturalist's life with owls. Angell's extensive illustrations show owls engaged in what owls do-hunting, courting, raising families, and exercising their inquisitive natures-and reveal his immeasurable respect for their secret lives and daunting challenges.



Angell discusses the unique characteristics that distinguish owls from other bird species and provides a fascinating overview of the impact owls have had on human culture and thought. He also offers detailed scientific descriptions of the nineteen species of owls found in North America, as well as their close relatives elsewhere. Always emphasizing the interaction of humans and owls, the author affirms by his own example the power of these birds both to beguile and to inspire.
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The House of Owls
For a quarter of a century, Tony Angell and his family shared the remarkable experience of closely observing pairs of western screech owls that occupied a nesting box outside the window of their forest home. The journals in which the author recorded his observations, along with the captivating drawings he created, form the heart of this compelling book-a personal account of an artist-naturalist's life with owls. Angell's extensive illustrations show owls engaged in what owls do-hunting, courting, raising families, and exercising their inquisitive natures-and reveal his immeasurable respect for their secret lives and daunting challenges.



Angell discusses the unique characteristics that distinguish owls from other bird species and provides a fascinating overview of the impact owls have had on human culture and thought. He also offers detailed scientific descriptions of the nineteen species of owls found in North America, as well as their close relatives elsewhere. Always emphasizing the interaction of humans and owls, the author affirms by his own example the power of these birds both to beguile and to inspire.
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The House of Owls

The House of Owls

by Tony Angell

Narrated by Tom Zingarelli

Unabridged — 5 hours, 4 minutes

The House of Owls

The House of Owls

by Tony Angell

Narrated by Tom Zingarelli

Unabridged — 5 hours, 4 minutes

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Overview

For a quarter of a century, Tony Angell and his family shared the remarkable experience of closely observing pairs of western screech owls that occupied a nesting box outside the window of their forest home. The journals in which the author recorded his observations, along with the captivating drawings he created, form the heart of this compelling book-a personal account of an artist-naturalist's life with owls. Angell's extensive illustrations show owls engaged in what owls do-hunting, courting, raising families, and exercising their inquisitive natures-and reveal his immeasurable respect for their secret lives and daunting challenges.



Angell discusses the unique characteristics that distinguish owls from other bird species and provides a fascinating overview of the impact owls have had on human culture and thought. He also offers detailed scientific descriptions of the nineteen species of owls found in North America, as well as their close relatives elsewhere. Always emphasizing the interaction of humans and owls, the author affirms by his own example the power of these birds both to beguile and to inspire.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Dominique Browning

The artist and naturalist Tony Angell has written a fascinating, endearing book…that's full of his beautiful drawings.

From the Publisher

"Tony Angell writes (and draws) with the absolute authority of one who has studied, rehabilitated, lived with and loved the animals his whole life . . . This book is alive with his chiaroscuro depictions of owls in every imaginable pursuit."—Wall Street Journal

"The House of Owls is the apotheosis of a life-time’s engagement with owls. Steeped in the tradition of Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon, it blends taxonomy, ornithology, biogeography and autobiography."—Janette Currie, Times Literary Supplement

"A charming personal account, accompanied by nearly 100 illustrations, that underscores how owls and other birds enrich our lives."—Kirkus Reviews

"[Angell's] accounts of owls' lives and habits, along with his intimate, detailed illustrations, manage to make the creatures seem both more familiar and more mysterious . . . A tale well-told, beautifully illustrated, and imparted by just the right voice."—American Scientist

Winner of the 2015 National Outdoor Book Award for the Nature & Environment category

"Two worlds of wisdom meet in The House of Owls, nature's own in the survival of an owl family through the generations and the all-seeing eye of the artist who is their host and diarist. Tony Angell magnificently depicts this long mutual near-kinship and much more in words straight from the heart and illustrations masterfully true to life."—Ivan Doig, author of The Whistling Season

"Few artists move us with both words and images. The vigor, unique adaptations and essential life-blood of North American Owls, propelled by powerful illustrations and intimate accounts, animate the pages of The House of Owls, another masterful work by Tony Angell."—Paul Bannick, author of The Owl and The Woodpecker

"The House of Owls is, simply, a delight for a strigiphile like me. But it will also delight any birder or naturalist, and all those who care about the living world and its more remarkable manifestations."—From the Foreword by Robert Michael Pyle, author of Chasing Monarchs and Mariposa Road

"There is no other writer on birds today who so perfectly combines a life of observation with his own art and the kind of up-to-date information one gets from associating with researchers."—Stephen Bodio, contributing editor of Living Bird and author of Aloft, Querencia, and An Eternity of Eagles

Geographical - Laura Cole

[An] enchanting look-in on some of the least known birds of the animal kingdom… Throughout Angell uses his own intricate illustrations and approachable descriptions to make it easy to understand these strange bird’s anatomy.”—Laura Cole, Geographical

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"A charming personal account " —Kirkus

Association of Outdoor Recreation/Education - National Outdoor Book Award

Winner of the 2015 National Outdoor Book Award for the Nature & Environment category.

TLS - Janette Currie

The House of Owls is the apotheosis of a life-time’s engagement with owls. Steeped in the tradition of Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon, it blends taxonomy, ornithology, biogeography and autobiography.’—Janette Currie, Times Literary Supplement

American Scientist

"[Angell's] accounts of owls' lives and habits, along with his intimate, detailed illustrations, manage to make the creatures seem both more familiar and more mysterious . . . A tale well-told, beautifully illustrated, and imparted by just the right voice."—American Scientist

Stephen Bodio

There is no other writer on birds today who so perfectly combines a life of observation with his own art and the kind of up-to-date information one gets from associating with researchers.”—Stephen Bodio, contributing editor of Living Bird and author of Aloft, Querencia, and An Eternity of Eagles

Robert Michael Pyel

The House of Owls is, simply, a delight for a strigiphile like me. But it will also delight any birder or naturalist, and all those who care about the living world and its more remarkable manifestations.”—From the Foreword by Robert Michael Pyle, author of Chasing Monarchs and Mariposa Road

Paul Bannick

Few artists move us with both words and images. The vigor, unique adaptations and essential life-blood of North American Owls, propelled by powerful illustrations and intimate accounts, animate the pages of The House of Owls, another masterful work by Tony Angell.”—Paul Bannick, author of The Owl and The Woodpecker

Ivan Doig

Two worlds of wisdom meet in The House of Owls, nature's own in the survival of an owl family through the generations and the all-seeing eye of the artist who is their host and diarist. Tony Angell magnificently depicts this long mutual near-kinship and much more in words straight from the heart and illustrations masterfully true to life.”—Ivan Doig, author of The Whistling Season

Wall Street Journal

"Tony Angell writes (and draws) with the absolute authority of one who has studied, rehabilitated, lived with and loved the animals his whole life. . . . This book is alive with his chiaroscuro depictions of owls in every imaginable pursuit."—Wall Street Journal

Kirkus Reviews

2015-01-28
Angell (Puget Sound Through An Artist's Eye, 2010, etc.) combines his skills as a naturalist and illustrator in this chronicle of a family of screech owls that nested in the backyard of his home and became part of his extended family; it's followed by an account of the unique characteristics of the species.In 1969, the author and his family moved to a Seattle suburb. He built an owl nesting box strategically placed outside his bedroom window, from which to observe the owls, beginning with their extended courtship rituals in February (when the male perched on the nesting box and called to attract a female) to egg-laying in April and hatching in May. He recounts an incident when the male owl failed to heed his chicks' begging calls for food, prompting the female to fly out of the nest and knock him off his perch in an adjoining tree. Angell accompanies anecdotes about the owls he observes with illustrations—e.g., a series of drawings showing an owl descending on prey. For more than 25 years, the family observed five different pairs of owls who nested in the box and produced about 50 young. The author gives a solid overview of the 217 species of owls. Their fossil record dates back 23 million years, and their sizes range from ounces to 10 pounds. The author attributes their success as predators to their keen hearing, which enables them to hunt in relative darkness. In one illustration, he shows a great gray owl locating a small mammal covered by a blanket of snow. Angell also reminds us that the owls he loves have been cultural icons throughout human history, famous as companions of the Greek goddess Athena and even Harry Potter. A charming personal account, accompanied by nearly 100 illustrations, that underscores how owls and other birds enrich our lives.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940170486632
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication date: 07/07/2015
Edition description: Unabridged
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