The Secret Life of the Owl by John Lewis-Stempel

A beautifully illustrated and lyrical celebration of this mythical creature from bestselling and prize-winning author John Lewis-Stempel
 
The Secret Life of the Owl is a beautifully illustrated small format hardback exploring the legend and history of the owl. A true celebration of this magnificent creature - its natural powers and its mythical glory. 
 
It is the time of the gloaming, the owl-light. Out in the wood, the resident tawny has started calling, Hoo-hoo-hoo-h-o-o-o.'There is something about owls. They feature in every major culture from the Stone Age onwards.
 
They are creatures of the night, and thus of magic. They are the birds of ill-tidings, the avian messengers from the Other Side. But owls - with the sapient flatness of their faces, their big, round eyes, their paternal expressions - are also reassuringly familiar.
 
We see them as wise, like Athena's owl, and loyal, like Harry Potter's Hedwig. Human-like, in other words. No other species has so captivated us