Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl (edit title)

Mary K edited the quotations of Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl 8 days ago.

• Edited a quotation: “People say Caltech is as close as one can getWesley taught me that if all I had to Hogwarts in the real world, and I'd have to agree.give was love, that was enough.”Stacey O'Brien

Mary K edited the characters of Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl 8 days ago.

• Changed the section title: Cast of Characters/Important People
• Added the description of Wesley the Owl: A barn owl who was raised by biologist Stacey O'Brien. His life is the main focus of the book.
• marked the description of Wesley the Owl as not a spoiler
• Added the description of Stacey O'Brien: Former Caltech biologist and caretaker of Wesley. She is also the author of the book.
• marked the description of Stacey O'Brien as not a spoiler
• Added the description of Wendy Francisco: Stacey's best friend and former roommate.
• marked the description of Wendy Francisco as not a spoiler

Mary K edited the quotations of Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl 8 days ago.

• Added a quotation: “On a rainy Valentine's Day morning in 1985, I fell in love with a four-day-old barn owl.”Stacey O'Brien
• Added a quotation: “From then on, Wesley imitated my bedtime routine using his own "sink," swishing his face in the water while i was washing mine, and drinking while I brushed my teeth.”Stacey O'Brien
• Added a quotation: “Wesley's December molt was my California white Christmas.”Stacey O'Brien
• Added a quotation: “And so it was that I had to pretend to eat mice almost every day or he would become upset and worried that I was starving.”Stacey O'Brien
• Added a quotation: “People say Caltech is as close as one can get to Hogwarts in the real world, and I'd have to agree.”Stacey O'Brien

Mary K edited the ridiculously simplified synopsis of Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl 8 days ago.

• Added: A heartwarming true story about a biologist and her bond with an adopted barn owl.

Laura and Eric edited the errata of Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl 2 weeks ago.

• Next he tried combining the wing flapping with short hops, which made him career <sic> into everything in his path." p. 45 - should be "careen"

Laura and Eric edited the first sentence of Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl 2 weeks ago.

• On a rainy Valentine's Day morning in 1985, I fell in love with a four-day old barn owl.

Shelfari edited the description of Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Saturday, August 1 2009.

• 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.

Shelfari edited the contributors of Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Wednesday, July 22 2009.

• Added a contributor: Stacey O'Brien: (Primary Author)