Tag: book review

Posted on in Birds, Books, Media Reviews

Armchair Birding: “Brushed by Feathers,” by Frances L. Wood

brushed_feathers_book_better-229x345It’s 15 degrees outside, the snow is not so much falling as being hurled against the windowpane, and the highway patrol has just closed the interstate. You are itching to go birding. What’s a snowed-in birder to do? One solution is to grab a fuzzy blanket, a nice cup of  hot tea, and hunker down with a copy of Brushed by Feathers, by Frances L. Wood.

Starting in January, Wood chronicles a year of birdwatching from her perspective as a naturalist, artist, speaker and writer. While the material is factual and informative, the true worth of this book is the way in which it is presented. The author comes across as an old friend sharing her birding journal with you.

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Posted on in Birds, Books, Media Reviews

An Owl Story to Enjoy

wesleytheowlWesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl, by Stacey O’Brien

“Wesley’s eyes were a deep, inscrutable black. Even when they first opened, they harbored a great mystery and held my gaze. Looking into his eyes was like looking into infinity, into something far away and cosmic. It was a profoundly spiritual experience….”

This is not your average birding book. Stacey O’Brien adopted a baby barn owl when he was only days old, naming him Wesley. Nerve damage in his wing meant he’d never live successfully as a wild owl. Her commitment to live with and care for Wesley would span almost 19 years, until his death.

Barn owls can’t be kept in a cage, so Wesley and Stacey truly lived together with mutual love and respect. She adapted to “The Way of the Owl,” and he, having imprinted on a human, developed some very un-owl-like traits. For example, barn owls don’t typically like to get wet, but Wesley delighted in taking baths!

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