false 3001512 8 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.<P>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!<P>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.<P>Enhanced by wonderful photos,<I> Wesley the Owl</i> 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. 3032006 19 8 2008 Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl total:757|5:241|4:302|3:176|2:30|1:8| 757 3009 1471 317 5 6 false false Tue Nov 11 11:59:26 -0800 2008 Tue Oct 07 02:57:18 -0700 2008 Tue Nov 11 11:59:26 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 3 false false Thu Oct 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 01 08:24:40 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 02 11:24:52 -0700 2008
I've never been a bird person, but O'Brien's heartwarming account of her life with Wesley the Owl may make me a ...more...]]> 2 1 false true Wed Dec 24 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 06 16:05:23 -0800 2008 Thu Jul 09 20:24:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sat Feb 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 22:06:10 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 17 14:12:28 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Thu Oct 09 07:51:55 -0700 2008 Wed Dec 03 13:00:03 -0800 2008
The writing is not great, and sometimes it’s actually pretty bad, es...more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 05 09:23:58 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 14 09:06:50 -0700 2008 The star of the book is Wesley, a smart barn owl who's antics were a joy to read. From the first moment the author sees the helpless ba...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Nov 23 20:51:32 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 23 20:52:01 -0800 2008 2 0 false false Fri Mar 27 12:25:09 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 12:25:18 -0700 2009
Wesley lived close...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Dec 12 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 12:41:54 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 12:56:20 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jul 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Nov 03 13:06:50 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 03 13:07:49 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 15:16:52 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 15:32:06 -0700 2009 Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 14:28:03 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 14:35:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed May 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 11:10:12 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 11:23:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 12:05:48 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 12:07:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Nov 29 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 12 18:00:48 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 17 06:21:02 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 11:48:24 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 11:58:11 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 2 false false Sun Dec 21 08:29:44 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 21 08:31:53 -0800 2008 Downsides? This woman is a nutjob, and she had a serious case of needing a real editor (not just her musician friend). The word "galumphing" was used about eighteen thousand times, and some...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Oct 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 19:06:07 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 18:21:30 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Sep 18 18:22:57 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 08:12:53 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 16:05:56 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 16:21:53 -0700 2009 more...]]>