The Screech Owl Companion

“Wright’s book is comprehensive, describing the literature and lore of owls, listing the different species we may encounter in the Eastern U.S. and providing strategies for owl-friendly yards and inventive designs for nest boxes designed to keep the most insistent squirrel out.” –The Examiner News

“The Screech Owl Companion is incredibly comprehensive, and I enjoyed all the great photos throughout.”

–Rebecca Minardi, Book and Media Reviews Editor, Birding Magazine”[The Screech Owl Companion] really grabbed my attention… Impressive.“–Cliff Shackelford, The Red River Radio Bird Calls (NPR)“For screech-owl aficionados, The Screech Owl Companion will be consulted for years to come.”–Carl Safina, Birding Magazine“Packed with everything you wanted to know about screech owls and even has plans to build your own box.” –Newbury Port Daily News“A well-illustrated overview of Eastern and Western Screech-Owls.”–Bird Booker Report

“Jim Wright describes screech owls as the most amazing creatures you’ll seldom see. But after reading this book, you will know a lot more about them and wish you had one living near you. The surprising thing is that you probably do. If you have any interest in owls–and who doesn’t–this is a book you’ll want to own. The Screech Owl Companion is filled with useful information and wonderful pictures. If you’re interested in owls of any kind, especially screech owls, this is a must have book. It is well-researched, well-written, and filled with useful information.”

–Robert M. Peck, Senior Fellow, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University“Full of beautiful photos and illustrations and tips from the owl hosts, with sidebars featuring owl-oriented quotations and other books about owls, this gem of a manual will satisfy all levels of owl lovers.”–Booklist“An armchair naturalist will find this book filled with interesting facts and folklore about this feathered denizen of backyard and nearby woodland edge. For a closer acquaintance with the screech owl, Wright and Weston provide detailed instructions on installing owl boxes, their construction and placement, and the installation of a nest cam. And they give important tips (and cautions) for photographing owls.” –Dorcas MacClintock, author of Animals Observed: A Look at Animals in Art“Astounding, thorough, wide-ranging, and well done, this book will take you into the world of the beloved Screech Owl. It delivers everything you could want or need to welcome these appealing, diminutive, feathery, fierce creatures as your neighbors.” –Lillian Stokes, coauthor of The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America“Everyone who wants to put up a screech owl box or has a screech owl box should own this book (not just read it once since you will use it again and again). It is a how-to guide and a reference manual that covers everything you could ever want to know from biology to nest box designs to camera technology and much, much more.” –Karla Bloem, Executive Director of the International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota

Jim Wright is a prize-winning writer and the author of “The Bird Watcher,” a long-running column featured in New Jersey’s The Record and USA Today. He has hosted screech owls in a backyard nest box, written about them since 2004, and observed them through a nestcam for a dozen breeding seasons. He is currently leading a grassroots campaign to ban the rat poisons that kill owls and other wildlife. He lives in Allendale, NJ.

Scott Weston has been involved with birding and owling for over 35 years, going on predawn Audubon Christmas bird counts since he was 11. An accomplished photographer, Scott has contributed to local and national publications, including Cornell’s All About Backyard Birds. He has a B.S. degree in fisheries and aquaculture from the University of Rhode Island. He has been working and publishing in this field for over 20 years with Salem State University. He lives in northern Massachusetts.