Stacey O’Brien - 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
Stacey O'Brien

FREE PRESS
New York London Toronto Sydney

Praise for Wesley the Owl

"The best of love stories between two intelligent beings, told (by the human) with good humor and remarkable insights into the mind of an owlI couldn't put it down."

Donald Kroodsma, Ph.D., professor emeritus at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author of The Singing Life of Birds

"Wesley will make you wonder if owls are not at least as wise as humans and as capable of compassion. Wesley the Owl will stretch your notions about the limits of interspecies communication and love. It will entertain, delight and, finally, cause you to weep. Guaranteed."

Sam Keen, author of Sightings: Extraordinary Encounters with Ordinary Birds

"Stacey O'Brien tells the intriguing story of how her life was changed and rearranged when she attempted to tame and raise Wesleya barn owl. She shows us how she was ultimately repaid with his love and devotion, and given glimpses into the mind of an animal that has an unexpected ability to understand human language and to communicate. Fascinating!"

Stanley Coren, psychologist and author of How Dogs Think and Why Does My Dog Act That Way?

"From wingtip to wingtip, Wesley the Owl will open your heart to feathered wisdom. And you will learn some astonishing facts about birds and other creatures from a compassionate scientist dedicated to saving lives."

Don Hglund, DVM, author of Nobody's Horses

"With an eye for detail not often seen in books about animals Stacey O'Brien tells her fascinating story with great passion. This wonderful, enchanting book makes one understand that the bond we have with animals goes beyond the 'norm' of dogs and cats and can cross over to all of nature. Wesley the Owl is a true testament that love comes in many shapes, sizes, fur and feathers."

Randy Grim, author of Miracle Dog, subject of The Man Who Talks to Dogs

"Stacey O'Brien's relationship with an unreleaseable Barn Owl spanned almost two decades, and she tells their story of mutual devotion with an irresistible combination of empathy, humor and keen observation. Wesley the Owl captivated me from the first pageit is a beautiful, inspiring book."

Suzie Gilbert, Wildlife Rehabilitator and author of Hawk Hill

Photo by Stacey O'Brien

A Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Copyright 2008 by Stacey O'Brien
Photographs on Chapter 4 and Chapter 8
copyright 2008 by Wendy Francisco
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Free Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Free Press hardcover edition August 2008
FREE PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O'Brien, Stacey.
Wesley the owl: the remarkable love story of an owl and his girl / Stacey O'Brien.1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Barn owlCalifornia, SouthernAnecdotes. 2. Barn owlBehaviorCalifornia, SouthernAnecdotes. 3. Human-animal relationshipsCalifornia, SouthernAnecdotes. 4. O'Brien, Stacey. 5. Women biologistsCalifornia, SouthernBiography. I. Title.
QL696 .S85027 2008
598.9'7dc22 2008007985
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-7981-6
ISBN-10: 1-4165-7981-8
Visit us on the World Wide Web:
http://www.SimonSays.com

Dedicated to my parents,
Ann Baker Farris and Haskell Glenn O'Brien,
who gave me wings to fly
and
In loving memory of my grandmother
Agnes "Zimmie" O'Brien,
who rescued, raised, and loved a barn owl
long before I was born

Author's Note

IN THE INTEREST of brevity, I have not listed every place that Wesley and I lived over a nineteen-year period, nor every roommate we had. I moved several times over the course of this memoir, but it would not serve the reader to have to wade through all of that. Also, I have changed a few names of those portrayed.Since this story took place, federal laws protecting wild birds have become more stringent. It is against the law to keep any wild bird or indigenous wildlife without a permit. If you find a baby bird on the ground, try putting it back in its nest. Then watch to see if the parents return within an hour. Parents will not reject a baby bird that's been touched by a human or animal. Birds cannot smell the way mammals can. If you can't replace the bird in its nest, take it to an animal rescue center; workers there will know of a certified wildlife rehabilitator who can take care of it.There is much urgent work still to be done to protect animals from abuse, exploitation, and destruction of their environment. I recommend joining an organization such as Defenders of Wildlife, The Jane Goodall Institute, the Audubon Society, the ASPCA, and other such groups to help in the battle to protect our fellow citizens of the earth. It is also extremely rewarding to volunteer at your local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center, which is always looking forand happy to trainwilling helpers.

Contents

The Way of the Owl

O N A RAINY Valentine's Day morning in 1985, I fell in love with a four-day-old barn owl. I'd been working at Caltech (California Institute of Technology) for about a year when one of the scientists called me into his office. He mentioned that there was an owl with an injured wing, and said, "Stacey, he needs a permanent home."The little owl was so tiny and helpless he couldn't even lift his head or keep himself warm. His eyes weren't open yet, and except for a tuft of white down feathers on his head and three rows of fluff along his back, his body was pink and naked. I was smitten beyond reason by his hopelessly goofy appearance. He was the most wonderful creature I'd ever seen, gorgeous in his helplessness. And, oh, was he uncoordinated. His long, lanky legs stuck out awkwardly, and his oversized talons erratically scratched anyone who held him. His scrawny body had two little nubs that would eventually become wings, and his ungainly pterodactyl-like head wobbled from side to side. It seemed as if he had been assembled from the flotsam and jetsam of many different creatures.

Wesley at four or five days old. Stacey O'Brien

Under normal circumstances, a rehabilitation center would have raised him using owl puppets to feed him and teach him to live in the wild, which is how biologists have raised endangered birds like sandhill cranes and the California condor that they intend to release. But this baby had nerve damage in one wing, so although he might one day be able to fly well enough to hunt sporadically, his wing could never build up to the level of endurance he would need to survive in the wild.Like all barn owls, the baby smelled like maple syrup but not as sweet, something closer to butterscotch and comfy pillow all in one. Many biologists at Caltech, where I both worked and took classes, would bury their faces in their owls' necks to breathe in their delicate, sweet scent. It was intoxicating.Scientists from all over the world were on our barn owl research team. There are seventeen species in the barn owl family and they live on every continent except Antarctica, but the ones we worked with were allNext page