Paul Bannick Photography

Paul Bannick is an award-winning wildlife author and photographer specializing in the natural history of North America with a focus on birds and habitat. Coupling his love of the outdoors with his skill as a photographer, he creates images that foster the intimacy between viewer and subject, inspiring education and conservation. Paul is both the author and photographer of four books, Owl: A Year i

n the Lives of North American Owls (Braided River) and The Owl and The Woodpecker, Encounters with North America’s Most Iconic Birds (Mountaineers). His first book, The Owl and the Woodpecker, published in October of 2008, continues to be one of the best-selling bird books in North America. The University of Washington’s Burke Museum created a traveling exhibit based on The Owl and the Woodpecker, which began touring North American cities in March of 2011. Paul's latest books, "Snowy Owl: A Visual Natural History" and Great Gray Owl: A Visual Natural History" were published in September of 2020

Bannick’s work has won awards from several prestigious photography contests, including those hosted by Audubon Magazine and the International Conservation Photography Awards. Paul’s photography can be found prominently in bird guides from Audubon, Peterson, The Smithsonian, Stokes, The National Wildlife Federation, and in several volumes of the Handbook of the Birds of the world. His work has been featured in a variety of publications from The New York Times, Audubon, Sunset, Nature’s Best Photography Magazine, Birds and Blooms, Ranger Rick, Pacific Northwest (two cover stories), Seattle Times, Alaska Air Magazine, and in many other books, magazines, parks, refuges, and other outlets in North America and Europe. He has appeared on NBC Nightly News, Evening Magazine, King 5 and on dozens of NPR stations and programs, including Travels with Rick Steves and BirdNote.

Shelter: Burrowing OwlsBurrowing Owls live in treeless landscapes where they seek refuge underground. They require the t...
07/23/2026

Shelter: Burrowing Owls
Burrowing Owls live in treeless landscapes where they seek refuge underground. They require the tunnels and burrows provided by fossorial animals such as prairie dogs, badgers, or ground squirrels for nests and protection. You can learn more about the habitats of Burrowing Owls and the 18 other species of the United States and Canada in the award-winning book, “Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls.”

Woodpecker Wednesday: Family StructuresMost woodpecker species are territorial and monogamous but there are exceptions. ...
07/22/2026

Woodpecker Wednesday: Family Structures
Most woodpecker species are territorial and monogamous but there are exceptions. Acorn Woodpeckers (pictured here) often live in large cooperative groups. You can learn more about their family structures in the award-winning new book, “Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers”.

Protecting the ArcticI am thrilled to play a role in the American Lands Projects efforts to build connections between po...
07/21/2026

Protecting the Arctic
I am thrilled to play a role in the American Lands Projects efforts to build connections between policy-makers and our country’s irreplaceable public lands and waters. It also a pleasure to explore the Arctic alongside the award-winning writer, Lynda Mapes.

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicalaria)A hungry youngster chases a parent arriving with a June bug. Burrowing Owls may lay 12...
07/09/2026

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicalaria)
A hungry youngster chases a parent arriving with a June bug. Burrowing Owls may lay 12 eggs but sometimes few survive the breeding season. Proper habitat, lack of pesticide use and overall food supply in a given year often determine how many fledge. You can learn more about Burrowing Owls in the award-winning book, “Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls.

Woodpecker Wednesday: End of NestingNestlings, such as this Northern Red-shafted Flicker, are often visible as they beg ...
07/08/2026

Woodpecker Wednesday: End of Nesting
Nestlings, such as this Northern Red-shafted Flicker, are often visible as they beg from the nest during the last week in the cavity. Parents like this male may encourage them to leave with a combination of calls and drumming, or the young may leave without any provocation. You can learn more in the award-winning new book, “Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers”.

Great Gray Owl (Strix Nebulosa)A mother Great Gray Owl looks over young in  old aspen snag (standing dead tree). This se...
07/02/2026

Great Gray Owl (Strix Nebulosa)
A mother Great Gray Owl looks over young in old aspen snag (standing dead tree). This sensitive species requires large-diameter snags for nests and the leaning trees which allow flightless young to climb from the dangerous forest floor. Sadly, too many of these elements are often removed during forest management.

Social Woodpeckers Gray-breasted Woodpeckers (Melanerpes hypolius) are among the most social woodpeckers in North Americ...
07/01/2026

Social Woodpeckers
Gray-breasted Woodpeckers (Melanerpes hypolius) are among the most social woodpeckers in North America, feeding and event breeding close to others of their species. This fascinating bird of south-central Mexico’s drylands often nests in cavities it drills into columnar cacti.
You can learn more about the variety of breeding behaviors of the Woodpeckers that live from the Arctic to the Caribbean in the award-winning book, “Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers”.

Woodpecker MigrationMost woodpeckers are resident on their home range year-round although in North American some sapsuck...
06/26/2026

Woodpecker Migration
Most woodpeckers are resident on their home range year-round although in North American some sapsuckers and flickers migrate and other species will expand home ranges when food is scarce. In Europe and Asia, the Great Spotted Woodpecker’s (pictured here) wanderings let it to colonize Ireland at the beginning of the 21st century. You can learn more in the award-winning new book, “Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers”.

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2559 Puesta Del Sol
Santa Barbara, CA
93105

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