Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Author: Stacey O'Brien | Language: English | ISBN:
B0011UCOZM | Format: EPUB
Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Description
On Valentine's Day 1985, biologist Stacey O'Brien first met a four-day-old baby barn owl -- a fateful encounter that would turn into an astonishing 19-year saga. With nerve damage in one wing, the owlet's ability to fly was forever compromised, and he had no hope of surviving on his own in the wild. O'Brien, a young assistant in the owl laboratory at Caltech, was immediately smitten, promising to care for the helpless owlet and give him a permanent home. Wesley the Owl is the funny, poignant story of their dramatic two decades together.
With both a tender heart and a scientist's eye, O'Brien studied Wesley's strange habits intensively and first-hand -- and provided a mice-only diet that required her to buy the rodents in bulk (28,000 over the owl's lifetime). As Wesley grew, she snapped photos of him at every stage like any proud parent, recording his life from a helpless ball of fuzz to a playful, clumsy adolescent to a gorgeous, gold-and-white, macho adult owl with a heart-shaped face and an outsize personality that belied his 18-inch stature. Stacey and Wesley's bond deepened as she discovered Wesley's individual personality, subtle emotions, and playful nature that could also turn fiercely loyal and protective -- though she could have done without Wesley's driving away her would-be human suitors!
O'Brien also brings us inside the prestigious research community, a kind of scientific Hogwarts where resident owls sometimes flew freely from office to office and eccentric, brilliant scientists were extraordinarily committed to studying and helping animals; all of them were changed by the animal they loved. As O'Brien gets close to Wesley, she makes important discoveries about owl behavior, intelligence, and communication, coining the term "The Way of the Owl" to describe his inclinations: he did not tolerate lies, held her to her promises, and provided unconditional love, though he was not beyond an occasional sulk. When O'Brien develops her own life-threatening illness, the biologist who saved the life of a helpless baby bird is herself rescued from death by the insistent love and courage of this wild animal.
Enhanced by wonderful photos,
Wesley the Owl is a thoroughly engaging, heartwarming, often funny story of a complex, emotional, non-human being capable of reason, play, and, most important, love and loyalty. It is sure to be cherished by animal lovers everywhere.
- File Size: 483 KB
- Print Length: 256 pages
- Publisher: Atria Books; Reprint edition (August 19, 2008)
- Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
- Language: English
- ASIN: B0011UCOZM
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,951 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Ornithology - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Ornithology - #18
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Sports > Outdoors & Nature > Birdwatching
- #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Ornithology - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Ornithology - #18
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Sports > Outdoors & Nature > Birdwatching
I normally choose non-fiction and, while this story is true, it almost reads like a novel. In this case, that was a strength. I like that the author started at the beginning and I didn't learn how or when Wesley died until near the end. In Alex and Me, it started after he died, before I cared about him or had bonded with him. I much preferred to follow Wesley's life in pretty much its actual order. I was impressed with the compassion and caring shown by the scientists with whom the author worked, and I found the details of their work very interesting. I also absolutely fell in love with Wesley - his personality, he curiosity, his sense of loyalty and fun. I was melancholy for a couple of days after I finished the book, realizing he was no longer in the world enriching it with his presence.
While I don't believe the average person should take in a wild animal, I disagree with the reviewer who felt Wesley should have either been released back to the wild to die young, due to his nerve-damaged wing, or killed as a baby. How the world would have been diminished if he hadn't been alive in it for 19 years!! How much we would not have learned about owls and their intelligence and their capacity to love and learn! I don't find anything "humane" about euthanizing a baby rather than allowing a loving professional to raise it and allow it a really full life. Because the author is a professional, she was able to record information and owl communication that other scientists would never have had access to otherwise. And, not only was Wesley allowed to enjoy a full life, but the author's life was enriched by their relationship, and the lives of everyone who reads their story are also enriched by it.
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