Pygmy Owl Press

Books rooted in birds, place, history, and the natural world.

Pygmy Owl Press is the independent publishing imprint of author and birder Carl J. Bendorf. It was created for the publication of The Last Warbler, a historical novel inspired by the mystery of Bachman’s Warbler and the birding world of the 1970s.

The name comes from one of my favorite birds, the Northern Pygmy-Owl. Small, inconspicuous, and surprisingly fierce, it has been a memorable part of my birding in Colorado.

The Last Warbler, the first book published by Pygmy Owl Press, will be released November 2026.

The model for our logo, Northern Pygmy Owl, photographed by the author November 2021 in Boulder County, CO.