⇒ [PDF] Wesley the Owl The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Stacey O'Brien 9781416551737 Books

Wesley the Owl The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Stacey O'Brien 9781416551737 Books

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Wesley the Owl The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Stacey O'Brien 9781416551737 Books

What an incredible experience Stacey O'Brien went through! Rather her than me with having to live so closely with mice guts and such but Wesley was so entrancing. The book is beautifully written and there is so much information packed into about Owls in general but not in a text book way, it flows well while it enlightens you. There are definitely some cringeworthy moments for her because of Wesley but amazing ones too. The bond they develop and the obvious mental "connection" shows you the reason your dog is waiting for you at the door when you get home! ( This HAS been proven, by the way). I now have a hard copy as I like it so much and wish to be able to hand it along to my friends.


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Wesley the Owl The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Stacey O'Brien 9781416551737 Books Reviews

The title rather says it all. O'Brien is an engaging author, trained as a biologist specializing in wild animal behavior. Her writing reveals her to be intelligent, and her many photos show her to be attractive. But she's quirky, in the most delightful way. We meet her on Valentine's Day in 1985 when she was then a young assistant in the owl laboratory at Caltech. She becomes immediately besotted upon meeting a four-day-old barn owl who has suffered nerve damage in one wing, meaning that he would be unable to fly and survive on his own in the wild. She adopts him and takes him home, beginning what is truly a love story between two species. The book jacket tells us, "with both a tender heart and a scientist's eye, O'Brien studied Wesley's strange habits intensively and firsthand--and provided a mice-only diet that required her to buy the rodents in bulk (28,000 over the owl's lifetime) . . . [snapping] photos of him at every stage like any proud parent." Thus she is able to build up a remarkable, and very personal, chronicle supplemented by her audiotaping his various calls and cries. As it turns out, he decides that she is his mate and she allows him to, uh, play on her arm. When she plays her tape of Wesley's orgasm to her Caltech professor and peers, they are delighted but she is ready to sink into the floor as she has to describe what that "strange noise" is all about. And she is surprised by a gang of tough teens in the pre-dawn hours as they catch her trying without success to toss mice to a family of wild owls up high. She thinks they may harm her, but when she explains what she is trying to do the boys with the stronger throwing arms join in with enthusiasm and the encounter ends in high-fives all around. These humorous snapshots light up the book. But, wait, there is more . . .

Wesley teaches O'Brien "The Way of the Owl," meaning that he did not tolerate lies, held her to her promises, provided unconditional love, and learned a few phrases of English. She in turn strengthened her own moral code out of admiration for his, and learned to understand his language. But in her late thirties she was stricken with a benign-but-inoperable brain tumor that resulted in a stroke. Subsequently disabled to some degree, she didn't want to be a burden to others and even considered suicide. But Wesley needed her and she decided that she could not desert him, lest he die of shock and grief or be mistreated by others. Thus she was able to spend his entire life with him until he expired from liver cancer at the age of 19, equivalent to a 120-year-old human who had survived that long entirely due to O'Brien's loving care. He died in her arms and she hopes to be reunited with him in the afterlife. My wish for this remarkable woman is that she find a human mate comparable to Wesley, as she deserves nothing less. Five stars for this wonderful book.
This is a wonderful and educational story of a woman who adopts an injured owl. It is moving, funny, and if you don't cry at the end, you are not human! It is well written and has great illustrations. I liked this book so much that I have a copy of my own and have also purchased 4 copies for gifts. The recipients of the gift books have also been very impressed by the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in animals and people.
I greatly enjoy non-fiction animal books, and this one was a good one.
I haven't read too many stories about birds, as most "bird stories" aren't really my thing, but the barn owl is my favorite type of bird, and I have always been interested in wildlife rehabilitation.
There were a lot of interesting facts as well as the beautiful story of Wesley and Stacey. They obviously had an incredible bond; one that most pet owners wish for with their companions.
My only complaint is that it was so short!!
Not quite finished with this charming book, but enjoying it very much. If you love owls this book is a must read. I am amazed at how challenging it was for the author to take on the task of rIsing an orphaned Barn Owl. As much as I fantisized about (somehow) owning an owl, this reveales the reality of such a challenge and how daunting the responsibility would be to take on such a task.
Recommend this to anyone doing wildlife rehab or anyone who just loves wildlife. Facinating facts about owls and thier ecological place in the world.
What an incredible experience Stacey O'Brien went through! Rather her than me with having to live so closely with mice guts and such but Wesley was so entrancing. The book is beautifully written and there is so much information packed into about Owls in general but not in a text book way, it flows well while it enlightens you. There are definitely some cringeworthy moments for her because of Wesley but amazing ones too. The bond they develop and the obvious mental "connection" shows you the reason your dog is waiting for you at the door when you get home! ( This HAS been proven, by the way). I now have a hard copy as I like it so much and wish to be able to hand it along to my friends.