KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — If a picture is worth a thousand words, wildlife photographer Paul Bannick has a lot to say.
Bannick is an award-winning author and photographer who has spent years studying and tracking down owls in North America. On Tuesday, the York County Audubon will host a virtual lecture where Bannick will speak about one of his two latest books, "Snowy Owl: A Visual Natural History."
Bannick has spent countless hours traveling across North America, searching for the 19 different species that live here.
"The owls are messengers ... because they come from the places where we rarely see them, and they give us a glimpse, and then my hope is that we've become curious about that messenger. What is the message?" Bannick said.
Deciphering those messages is what this former computer software engineer has devoted his life to. Growing up in a large family with 13 children in Washington state, Bannick was fascinated by animals early on.
"I remember frogs, salamanders, birds. They're my earliest memories," Bannick recalled.
Bannick witnessed firsthand changing landscapes and habitats when the area behind his childhood home was being developed, and the animals he had once observed were no longer there. He tried to get his sibling's attention to the matter to no avail.
"Nobody paid attention until I started photographing them," Bannick said.
With a camera as his tool, Bannick realized he could paint a bigger picture about the natural world and the messages he was seeing. Over the last two decades, he's written four books about owls in North America.
"Snowy owls are the arctic ambassador," Bannick said.
From his animated language as he speaks of snowy owl females and their dedication to their young, it's clear to see his affinity for these creatures that comes from thousands of hours of intimate and rare observation.
Bannick's photography has won several awards and has been featured in bird guides from Audubon, The Smithsonian, Stokes, and The National Wildlife Federation. He has appeared on NBC Nightly News and Travels with Rick Steves.