Bannick tells owls' stories

SANDPOINT — Award-winning wildlife photographer Paul Bannick will be in Sandpoint next Friday with a multi-media presentation featuring his latest book, "Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls."

"I'll have video, stories, photos and sounds of all the owls in North America and I will move through the four seasons," Bannick said.

Bannick, who is from Seattle, said he photographed a majority of the photos for his book in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta — most of the western provinces and states.

Bannick said the idea of the book is that, with 19 species of owls in North America, each is an indicator species for a type of habitat, so looking at 19 owl species is equivalent to looking at 19 natural system through the needs of the owl.

"The needs of the owl are the needs of many other animals that share those places with them," he said.

With four seasons in a year, Bannick said he looked at the most defining needs they have in each season and what they need in the habitat to move on to the next stage. What do they need for a nest? What do they need to be able to hunt? What do they need to gain independence from their parents? What do they need to survive the winter?

"Those stories are told for each of the 19 species, and in the process teaches people about the natural systems in North America, including the diversity that we have here in the West and the Intermountain West," Bannick said.

Those who attend the program will watch owls as they court, as they mate, lay eggs, raise young, compete with rivals, hunt and learn to become dependent from the parent and survive the winter so they can move on to the next year.

Bannick said he has been interested in conservation his whole life, but as one of 13 children who grew up without a lot of money, had a "more practical" career earlier in life with the dream of writing books on wildlife. About 15 years ago, he began studying owls and said he was fascinated how each one lived in a unique habitat. Since then he has written "The Owl and The Woodpecker, Encounters with North America's Most Iconic Birds," as well as his most recent book.

His work has won awards from prestigious photography contests, including those hosted by Audubon Magazine and the International Conservation Photography Awards. 

The event is organized by Kaniksu Land Trust, Idaho Conservation League and American Heritage Wildlife Foundation. The public will have the opportunity to see Bannick's presentation at 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Little Panida Theater. Admission is $5.