THE BURROWING OWLS OF THE PRAIRIE GRASSLANDS

A close look at the only owls in the world that live underground.

The small, brown, long-legged burrowing owls gazing beadily at viewers from nearly every page of Reczuch’s close-up, ground-level prairie scenes are leading a perilous existence—victims of habitat loss and, following an estimated 90% decline in population, declared an endangered species in Canada. Focusing on an owl family in Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan, Canada, Hodge traces the reproductive phase of their annual cycle as they fly up from northern Mexico or southern Texas to find an unused prairie dog or other digger’s burrow, produce large clutches of eggs that, interestingly, always hatch in the order they are laid, and endeavor to keep the blind, flightless nestlings safe from coyotes and other predators by buzzing like rattlesnakes. Young audiences may respond on a deeper level to the visual images of inscrutable owls and the broad sweeps of prairie landscape behind them than to the author’s formal, somewhat stiff narrative. Still, salutes to several reclamation initiatives in Canada and the Global Owl Project headquartered in Oregon close this concerning profile on a hopeful note.

A visually enticing yet sobering glimpse of a unique species in danger.