Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl

Author - Stacey O´Brien ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Hardcover Book item from Free Press was reviewed on 11-Oct-2008.

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1) Hardcover Book Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Free Press.


Stacey O´Brien was a biologist at Cal Tech when she adopted a 3 day old Barn Owl with a permanently damaged wing whom she named Wesley. This is the story of their relationship during their 19 years together. It´s a charming moving (but not overly sentimental) funny and informative tale. You will learn more than even most scientists know about Barn Owls as the story unfolds and you´ll gain insight as well into the endearing personality of a particular Barn Owl named Wesley. Owls are playful, curious and intelligent yet interact with the world quite differently than we do. The descriptions of Wesley´s embarrassing moments when he´s learning to fly (yes he did learn to fly) and the fun he has splashing in the bathtub are priceless. You will also meet Stacey´s human family, friends and co-workers, some quite unusual. I enjoyed this book about "The Way of the Owl" enormously, and if you like Konrad Lorenz´s books, animals in general, or just a good read that´s hard to put down, you will too.¤

2) Hardcover Book Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Free Press. When student researcher Stacey O´Brien was introduced to an injured four-day-old barn owl at Caltech she could not have possibly imagined that the little bird would change her life forever. O´Brien is an animal lover of the first degree and it was easy to convince her to take on the task of caring for Wesley, as she soon named the little guy, even though she knew that he could never be released into the wild. He would instead spend his extra-long nineteen-year lifespan living in her bedroom and become her closest companion during all of those years.

The unbreakable bond that developed between Stacey and Wesley makes for an astounding story. It is not overly surprising that Wesley, taken in at such a young age, would "imprint" on Stacey to the degree that he came to see her as some kind of mother/mate combination. What might be even more remarkable is how maternal Stacey felt toward Wesley for the entire nineteen years of their relationship, even referring to herself as "mommy" when she spoke to the little owl. In fact, and in every sense of the word, Stacey and Wesley created a two-member family for themselves to such a degree that few would consider Wesley to have been held in captivity. Rather, the two lived side-by-side as equals.

Wesley the Owl is O´Brien´s fascinating account of what living so intimately with a wild creature requires from the human in the relationship. Imagine having to come up with the four or five dead mice a day required to keep a barn owl healthy (a number that O´Brien estimates to have reached 28,000 over Wesley´s lifetime). Imagine having a nocturnal animal just a few feet from the bed in which you hope to get your own night´s sleep. Think about the sheer clean-up involved and the constant vigilance required to ensure that the animal does not mistake any visitor as a threat requiring physical attack. Consider the degree to which personal freedom has to be sacrificed in this kind of relationship, even to limiting other relationships to people who accept your "pet."

But for Stacey O´Brien it was all worth it. She and Wesley each learned to communicate in the language of the other, verbally and physically, to the degree that they developed a relationship of equals. They cuddled, they talked, they "groomed" each other, they brought treats to one another (although Stacey only faked her enjoyment of dead mice), and they grew together into two adults enjoying a closer relationship than some married couples might experience (including Wesley´s idea of a mating ritual).

For Stacey and Wesley it was all about unconditional love. After all, as Stacey came to learn, that is the Way of the Owl, a code of conduct that more of us than do should strive to emulate.

Stacey the human and Wesley the owl were lucky to find and keep each other for a lifetime. We should all be so lucky.¤

3) Hardcover Book Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Free Press. As both an animal lover in general and as someone who´s worked closely with raptors, including owls, I found Wesley and Stacey´s ´love story´ to be both charming and, at the same time, a pretty realistic account of the time, effort and devotion it takes to hand raise and live with an essentially wild animal. It also serves as a cautionary tale for those who would try doing something like this with no training or education in dealing with the needs of these extraordinary creatures. Reading about Wesley brought back wonderful memories for me of owls I´ve known and loved but it´s a great book for anyone who loves animals be they furred, feathered or scaled.¤

4) Hardcover Book Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Free Press. Biologist Stacey O´Brien who worked at the lab at CalTech did an incredible job of writing this book. She is such a compassionate person and caregiver to Wesley and was totally dedicated to this little guy for 19 years even through some major ongoing challenges in her personal life. She writes about feelings we all experience in caring for our fur and feathered children, the hopes, the joy, the fears and at the end of their lives, the total helplessness, fear and guilt we feel at not having the power to make them live longer lives than they were meant to live. But this is mostly a happy book, an incredible look into the life of an animal that most of us never have the opportunity to get close to. I think Our Maker has a special place in heaven for people like Stacy.

There are a lot of animal stories out there, and being a bird owner myself and having always seen owls as mysterious animals, I was drawn to this book. This is unlike any book I´ve read thus far. It is simply written, and felt much like sitting in comfy chairs, across from Stacy sharing a cup of coffee and hearing her story. It was like having a conversation with her. I learned so much about Barn Owls and their personalities, habits and emotions. It made me laugh and it made me cry. It was so interesting that I read most of it in one sitting. It was a fascinating read from start to finish and I hope she will write more in the future.

I´ve already sent this book to two friends and it will definitely be on my Christmas list to send to others this year. Two thumbs up for this one.¤

5) Hardcover Book Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Free Press.
Very interesting, love to enter worlds I would never visit myself. She is a great writer and enjoyed the book very much. A good read on the beach or on a plane ride. The book also gives you insights on the life and thought process of scientists. When the book ends you want to know the sequel of the author´s life. She endears herself to you. I wish her well.¤

6) Hardcover Book Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Free Press. 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.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 8-Nov-2008, 14165517359781416551737, 290-640-650-020-900-100-591-351-231-8

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