Wesley The Owl, Stacey OBrien

Starred Review. Owls permeate literature and mythology, an ancient animal ( some 97 million years old) that has fascinated for centuries; still, few people have had as intimate an encounter with the mysterious night birds as biologist O Brien. As a student researcher at Caltech, she fell in love with an injured fourdayold barn owl and seized the opportunity to adopt him permanently. She named him Wesley, and for 19 years kept, cared for and studied him, forging a tremendous relationship with the stillwild animal, as well as a vast understanding of his abilities, instincts and habits: He was my teacher, my companion, my child, my playmate, my reminder of Her heartwarming story is buttressed by lessons on owl folklore, temperament ( playful and inquisitive ), skills, and the brain structure that gives them some amazing abilities, like spotting a mouse under three feet of snow by homing in on just the It also details her working life among fello