Kitsap Author Leigh Calvez will discuss her new book, The Hidden Lives of Owls, tomorrow night (Sept 27) at The Tacoma Library, sponsored by King’s Books in Tacoma at 7 PM. For more info: http://www.kingsbookstore.com/event/owls.
Several of us had already heard her talk about The Hidden Lives of Owls and sign it when she appeared at Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge, her home base, on 9/15/16, as well as having heard her speak about it pre-publication at the WOS conference this year. That event in Bainbridge was an overflow crowd that included many of her friends including Washington owl expert Jamie Acker.
Owl author Leigh Calvez discusses her new book 9-15-16.
Leigh Calvez’s (pronounced Cal-VAY) previous history is as a naturalist studying marine mammals. This seeming stretch to owls came about slowly until one day she realized she was obsessed with owls and needed to follow that obsession. As a naturalist, she knew it would take expert guidance, and she also knew how to find those experts and cajole them into bringing her along. The resultant book is therefore a combination of the most up-to-date knowledge on several critical species as well as a personal odyssey. She didn’t just interview the experts — She went with them. She experienced the same cold, wet, dark, afraid-to-breathe, long and sometimes boring stakeouts and now knows how hard it is to study owls first-hand.
Spotted, Great Grays, and Flammulated Owls are among the hardest to find and are covered in the book with a sense of adventure, as well as many others.
Line drawings by noted local bird artist Tony Angell are added for each species, in a more whimsical style than he usually employs, somewhat reminiscent of his own recent owl book, The House of Owls (thanks for loaning this to me, Vera!).
This is an easy-to-read book that will leave you educated effortlessly as you hurry to turn the page.
By the way, Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge will be hosting Paul Bannick on October 30th 4-5 PM when his new book, OWL, comes out. His photographic study will be a good companion book to Leigh Calvez’s book.
I attended the talk and book signing at the Tacoma Library and really enjoyed Leigh’s observations and anecdotal stories. I look forward to reading her book and learning even more about owls. Her story about the Great Gray Owls in the Blue Mountains of Oregon was by turn sad, inspiring, and heart-warming – emotions that most of us nature lovers feel at one time or another.