Wesley the Owl
By Stacey O’Brien
Spoiler alert – before you start this novel make room in
your heart for an adorable little barn owl named Wesley. You won’t be able to resist this smart, fluffy
bundle of energy. On Valentine’s Day
biologist Stacey O’Brien adopted a baby barn owl with an injured wing who
couldn’t survive in the wild. Talk about
a life changing decision! For almost
twenty years Wesley and Stacey shared a life.
As she says, “he was my teacher, my companion, my child, my playmate, my
reminder of God.”
What a treat that the author decided to share this love
story with us. Life with a wild barn owl
is not for everyone. I stand in deep
admiration of the author’s infinite level of patience. Her devotion certainly pays off in a deeply
empathetic, emotional communion with this beautiful creature.
A wonderful gift in this book is the large number of photos
of Wesley in his everyday glory. The
photos alone will melt your heart. But
then to read the stories behind this cutie, you’ll be delighted. As the author says, “he joyfully poured out
his love in loud exclamations and had boisterous opinions about
everything. He kept a running commentary
on all that happened in our lives, in his owl language . . . we were happy
together.”
But don’t get the idea that raising an owl, and living with
one is an endeavor for those faint of heart.
The description of daily life and required routines make me realize that
the model owl adoptive parent is a trained biologist specializing in wild
animal behavior, working at Caltech (California Institute of Technology) where
scientists from all over the world were on the barn owl research team.
Wesley’s story is so humorous, I often found myself laughing
out loud. The author really captures the
humor in everyday activities. I had so
much fun reading the story and looking at the many photos that I was surprised
to find how much I’d learned about barn owls, and also about animal behavior in
general. Some of these lessons are
couched in the theme throughout that is “the Way of the Owl”. I’m excited that I’ve learned so much in such
an enjoyable way. It’s amazing how well
Wesley communicated with his beloved human family. The author notes that “we are on the cusp of
a new understanding of animal communication.”
Thank you Wesley, for teaching me too.
For anyone who believes in the emotions, and soul, and
intelligence of animals – you will be captivated by the exploits of Wesley the Owl.
Thereby hangs a tale . . . .
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