The Barn Owl - Hardcover

Like many other Blandford books about nature, this one functions as both primer on its subject and coffee-table picture book. The sharp photos of owls in flight, hunting, or in their natural habitats immediately grab attention, and the accompanying text affords a good overview of the bird. The most appealing chapter may be the one on barn owls in folklore, what with its contemporary photographs illustrating some of the bird's legendary characterizations. More practically, the chapter on barn owl conservation includes plans for constructing a barn owl nest box. For ornithology enthusiast, nature photography fan, and interested browser alike, this is a wonderful treatment of one of the most often anthropomorphized birds. Mike Tribby