• Age: 5
• Grade: k

Rare photographs and an engaging text celebrate a ghostly inhabitant of the old-growth forest-a species facing imminent extinction on the Pacific coast.

Roosting on the branch of a Douglas Fir or gliding over the forest floor, the Spotted Owl depends on the varied habitat of the old-growth forest. As these ancient stands are increasingly lost to logging, the Spotted Owl population is declining precipitously in both Canada and the United States.

This celebration of the Spotted Owl, with stunning photographs by wildlife photographer Jared Hobbs and an authoritative text by biologist Richard Cannings, is a must for anyone who cares about the preservation of nature and the fate of this emblem of the old-growth forest. The very rare photographs capture these nocturnal hunters in midflight with wings spread, peering out of tree cavities, or tending to their young. The informative text by master birder and esteemed biologist Cannings describes the natural history of the owls and the threats to their survival.

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Richard Cannings is a renowned naturalist, conservationist and lecturer on birds and bird habitats. He works as a consulting biologist assessing endangered species and organizing bird population surveys, and he can be heard on the CBC Radio 1 program BC Almanac as its regular birding expert. He is the author of An Enchantment of Birds, The Rockies: A Natural History, and Birds of Interior BC and the Rockies and is co-author of British Columbia: A Natural History, Birds of Southwestern British Columbia, and the upcoming Birds of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. He lives in Penticton, BC.

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Richard Cannings' profile page

Jared Hobbs works as a biologist and a photographer based in Victoria, BC. Since graduating from UBC in 1994, he has worked on many of BC's species at risk, including Spotted Owls, and has recently completed his master's degree studying rattlesnakes. Hobb's is also a renowned wildlife photographer, whose images have appeared in calendars, government publications, books, and magazines, including Owl, Canadian Geographic, Hobo, and British Columbia Magazine.

Jared Hobbs' profile page

"Jared Hobbs has offered quite the photographic portrayal of owls in their natural forest habitat...The pages of owls in flight gives us new appreciation for these birds, which we often take for granted. We can only hope this book will draw attention to their plight."

Shelf Life

"Spotted Owls combines the masterful images of Jared Hobbs, with the superbly-crafted text of Richard Cannings...together they provide us with a unique glimpse into the world of this elusive owl species."

British Columbia Birds

Spotted Owls: Shadows in an Old-Growth Forest

Stunning photography and engaging writing make this introduction to the Spotted Owl a wonderful addition to any library collection. Eric Forsman, a noted wildlife biologist, draws on his thirty years experience studying and advocating for the Spotted Owl to set the stage with a foreword explaining how this species has become the symbol of controversy in the logging of old-growth forests. Over the last decade, photographer and biologist Hobbs has traveled from Mexico to BC, documenting the life and habitats of these birds. His outstanding photographs reinforce biologist Cannings’ informative and interesting text about the birds, their habitats and ecosystems, and their threatened status.

Caution: Photographs of the Spotted Owls eating rodents may be upsetting to more sensitive readers.