Have you ever seen—or heard—a screech owl?

Join us for a delightful conversation about these backyard wonders—with bird-watcher/writer/conservationist Jim Wright and publishing icon Michael Pietsch.

Of the top ten birds people hope to see, three are owls. Although they may be out of sight, owls are widespread throughout North America—and screech owls are the most likely to make their homes near humans. The Screech Owl Companion, co-authored by Jim Wright and Scott Weston, introduces us to screech owls, shows how to distinguish them from other species, shares fun lore and legend, and provides step-by-step instructions for building a nest box to attract and protect them.

Jim and Michael will talk about the book, why screech owls are critical to our ecosystem, and what we can do to help ensure their longevity. And they’ll happily take audience questions.

Books will be available for purchase and signing. We invite you to RSVP for planning purposes.

This event is produced in cooperation with Joan Brookbank Projects.

About Jim Wright

Prize-winning writer Jim Wright has written about raptors since 2007 when The Record (Northern New Jersey) published Jim’s full-page article about them. He has observed raptors all over the Northeast and in Central America and has written many newspaper columns about them. He monitors Peregrine Falcons and Red-shouldered Hawks for the state of New Jersey and is a volunteer raptor counter during the fall migration at State Line lookout on the Hudson River Palisades. On his best afternoon, Sept. 15, 2022, he helped count more than 1,300 raptors in three hours, but he’ll take one local Peregrine up-close any day. He is currently working on a book on Peregrine Falcons.

Jim is the author of The Screech Owl Companion (Timber Press, 2023), the essential guide to North America’s most common backyard owl. Jim also wrote The Real James Bond, a biography of the author and birdman who fell prey to the world’s most famous case of identity theft. The Wall Street Journal called it “slim and elegant.” The book, now in its second printing, is also available as an eBook and audiobook. Jim wrote an article about the real Bond for Smithsonian magazine, as well as an article on hummingbirds for Ian Fleming Publications.

A long-time journalist and freelance writer, Jim is also the author of Duke Farms’ Bald Eagles, a successful interactive eBook about one of the best-known nesting pairs in the United States. The webcam has had more than 10 million views. He keeps three blogs, The Screech Owl Companion, The Real James Bond, and The Celery Farm and Beyond, and their Facebook spin-offs.

The Bergen County Audubon Society gave Jim its 2023 Frank Chapman Award “in recognition of his commitment to the conservation, protection, and preservation of our avian wildlife.” Just last month, Jim appeared on Bird Calls, a monthly, live radio show about birds and nature on NPR affiliate Red River Radio out of Shreveport, LA.

He is a graduate of Syracuse University with degrees in communications and English.

About Michael Pietsch

Michael Pietsch has worked in book publishing for 45 years as an editor, publisher, and CEO, and is presently Chairman of Hachette Book Group. He and his wife Janet lived in Ossining for twenty+ years and are now in Sleepy Hollow. They enjoy birdwatching together in Croton Point Park, Rockefeller State Park, and other area sanctuaries—and even their three now-grown-up kids can usually tell a hawk from a handsaw.

Praise for The Screech Owl Companion

"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

“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