Whidbey Audubon Society: the Heartbeat of the Western Forest by Paul Bannick

**Join us for a very special dinner, catered by Orlando’s Southern Barbecue, featuring:** # The Heartbeat of the Western Forest: Exploring the Lives of Our Keystone Birds ## by Paul Bannick $50.00 | [Buy your ticket now!](whidbeyaudubon.org/wow#paulbannick) In this brand-new presentation, award-winning author and photographer **Paul Bannick** uses his intimate yet dramatic images, up-to-date science and first hand narratives to explore the lives of woodpeckers and their importance to our habitats in Western Washington and beyond. Bannick’s startling images reflect their shared behaviors as well as some surprising exceptions and adaptations. More than just a backdrop, the varied habitats reveal wildly rich stories of their own. Paul’s presentation will include material from his new book, _Woodpecker: A Year in the Live of North American Woodpeckers_, silver award winner of the 2025 INDIES Book of the Year in the Nature category. Woodpecker is a stunning follow-up to _Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls_; giving bird lovers yet another gorgeous photographic tribute, engaging natural history, and a compelling call to preserve the habitats that sustain these most iconic of birds. He will be available for signing after the presentation. _Paul Bannick’s camera work is so revelatory that Woodpecker is like sight for the blind. Never has this keystone species been portrayed so intimately. His prose explains that the extraordinary hammering that seems like tree vandalism is actually the work of forest doctors, as vital as they are beautiful. A lovely, informative book._ — William Dietrich, author of The Final Forest _No other author/photographer has come close to creating a book like this. Bannick’s photos are breathtaking, his prose elegant, his knowledge of woodpeckers encyclopedic. If you love birds, read it. Then keep it handy because it has a second function as a field guide._ — Ted Williams, former editor of Audubon Magazine and award-winning wildlife write