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

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

Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl
List Price: $15.00
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Buy Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl at Amazon.com
(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Stacey O'Brien
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2009-06-02
ISBN: 1416551778
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Free Press
Product features:

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

Book Review: From a fellow biologist...
Summary: 5 Stars

I too am a wildlife biologist and feel a special connection with certain animals. I loved this book! It brought back memories of my own love story with Lucky, my beloved pigeon, and a very special dog I just lost. I have purchased four more books for fellow biologists and I know they will love the accuracy of the information, learning something we didn't know before, and the pure heart connection with a wild species. I finished the book crying like a baby over Wesley's death and wondering about Stacey's health. I now say prayers for Stacey.

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

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.

Memoirs Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in My Favorite Books from The Pawlet Book Group, since 2000
The Samurai's Garden: A Novel ImageThe Samurai's Garden: A Novel
by Gail Tsukiyama
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 1996-05-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.79
Price in other shops: $13.95
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ImageThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
Vintage; Published: 2004-05-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.74
Price in other shops: $14.00
Last Night at the Lobster ImageLast Night at the Lobster
by Stewart O'Nan
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2008-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops: $13.00
The Devil in the White City:  Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America ImageThe Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
by Erik Larson
Vintage; Published: 2004-02-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops: $15.00
The Hummingbird's Daughter ImageThe Hummingbird's Daughter
by Luis Alberto Urrea
Back Bay Books; Published: 2006-04-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.50
Price in other shops: $14.99
That Old Ace in the Hole : A Novel ImageThat Old Ace in the Hole : A Novel
by Annie Proulx
Scribner; Published: 2003-09-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops: $16.00
Burning Marguerite ImageBurning Marguerite
by Elizabeth Inness-Brown
Vintage; Published: 2003-05-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops: $13.00
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter: A Novel ImageAunt Julia and the Scriptwriter: A Novel
by Mario Vargas Llosa
Picador; Published: 2007-10-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.48
Price in other shops: $15.00
Homestead ImageHomestead
by Rosina Lippi
Mariner Books; Published: 1999-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.63
Price in other shops: $13.00
The Mrs. Dalloway Reader ImageThe Mrs. Dalloway Reader
by Virginia Woolf, Francine Prose
Harvest Books; Published: 2004-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops: $14.00
Similar Books and other products
The Dog Who Rescues Cats: True Story of Ginny, The ImageThe Dog Who Rescues Cats: True Story of Ginny, The
by Philip Gonzalez
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 1996-10-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.44
Price in other shops: $13.99
A Snowflake in My Hand ImageA Snowflake in My Hand
by Samantha Mooney
Delta; Published: 1989-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.93
Price in other shops: $15.00
Alex & Me CD: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process ImageAlex & Me CD: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
by Irene Pepperberg
HarperAudio; Published: 2008-11-01; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops: $29.95
A Cat Named Squeeky ImageA Cat Named Squeeky
by Vic Reskovic
crow canyon publishing; Published: 2007-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.82
Price in other shops: $14.95
Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process ImageAlex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
by Irene Pepperberg
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2009-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.90
Price in other shops: $13.99
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World ImageDewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
by Vicki Myron, Bret Witter
Grand Central Publishing; Published: 2008-09-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops: $19.99
Kinship with Animals: Updated Edition ImageKinship with Animals: Updated Edition
Council Oak Books; Published: 2006-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.07
Price in other shops: $16.95
That Quail, Robert ImageThat Quail, Robert
by Margaret Stanger
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 1992-08-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.39
Price in other shops: $8.95
The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming ImageThe Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming
by Shreve Stockton
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2008-12-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.86
Price in other shops: $23.00
A Hummingbird in My House: The Story of Squeak ImageA Hummingbird in My House: The Story of Squeak
by Arnette Heidcamp
Crown; Published: 1991-03-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops: $17.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories