One Man's Owl: Abridged Edition

This book details Bernd Heinrich's experiences with an abandoned owl that he chose to raise by hand. Heinrich is a well-known scientist who specializes in animal behavior. Because of his extensive scientific publications and experience with wild animals, he was granted the necessary permits to raise the baby owl that he found in the woods one day. The owl had fallen out of its nest and was buried in a snowbank. When Heinrich first pulled him out, the bird was in very poor condition, but with a bit of care, he was able to nurse him back to health. He was aware however, that in doing so, he would be responsible for meeting all of this infant bird's needs for months or even years to come. In this book, a journal of the owl Bubo's first three years, Heinrich details all that he learned through his association with Bubo. Heinrich is a patient and gifted observer. He is also a scientist with a long list of questions about owl behavior. He is able to find answers to many of his questions simply by observation, but others require experiments. His experiments always involve authentic behaviors, such as mobbing or catching food, rather than artificially conceived tasks. Some of the experiments can be completed through focused observation, but one described in this book, involving whether mobbing behavior of predators is innate or learned, required the raising of additional birds, a pair of crows. In this book, Heinrich provides much background material on owls, in addition to all of his observations. This is not just a reference book about owls, however, but also a model record of the vast amount of information that can be learned through the careful observation of just one animal. The book includes an extensive list of references and an index.

Heinrich has a way of writing that makes a person understand the relations between people and animals. He makes me laugh at some of the interactions. I very much enjoyed this book.

I like to think of Bernd Heinrich as a forest sleuth. Nothing delights him more than prowling, or jogging, through miles and miles of his favorite Maine woods identifying and describing such things as the songs of birds, the cocoons of caterpillars, the smells of beetles and the droppings of moose. In this case, his interests lead him to examine the contents of the stomachs of owls - in particular the stomachs of Great Horned Owls. Owls it seems, eat their prey whole, separate the digestable from the indigestable portions in their stomachs, and when all is said and done regurgitate the inedible stuff as "owl pellets." More than you ever wanted to know about owls? That's what I thought too at first, but it gets better - really.Not long after discovering a nest of Great Horned Owls on his property, a storm destroys part of the nest and one of the chicks falls to the ground. Heinrich, who can never resist an opportunity to study wild things up close, scoops the little fellow up, christens him Bubo and takes him home to raise. What ensues is a delightful, often revealing account of how an owl and a man struggle to cross the divide between species. That both are determined is obvious. Heinrich puts up with all sorts of destructive and rude behavior from his childish guest. Bubo chews up, eats and regurgitates washcloths, favorite t-shirts and socks. He holds staring matches with the family cat, terrorizes guests, whom he considers competitors for Heindrich's attention, and rearranges Heindrich's eating and sleeping schedule. In return, Heindrich gets to study everything about the owl - from his eyelids and feather patterns to the mechanical workings of the owl's talons and the meanings of his various hoots and hisses. It is an uneasy if affectionate relationship. However Heinrich, who works as a university professor, must eventually return to his job and Bubo is sent to a wildlife rehabilitation center. There, all attempts at rehabilitation fail and Bubo is pronounced incorrigable. It is also clear that Bubo is miserable. Heinrich, who feels this is a waste of Bubo's life, eventuallly reclaims the bird, takes him back to Maine and spends another summer helping the bird find his adult wings.This is a revealing and touching story that goes way beyond the scientific study that Heinrich originally planned. As Heinrich himself acknowledges it became a very personal thing, a relationship between one man and one owl. A wonderful read.

This journal of Bernd Heinrich's relationship with a rescued great horned owl named Bubo is engaging, eye-opening and intensely personal. It goes far beyond the usual tales of relationships between wild animals and humans, providing both a record of Heinrich's scientific observations of the interactions of owls and other bird species and an account of how deeply the relationship with the owl impacted the lives of Heinrich and his friends and family. After reading this book, you won't just have a better understanding of the life of owls and birds--you'll feel like you know Heinrich personally.

I love this book (with the exception of the fragmentary bits of personal psychodrama-- cryptic discussion of breakup of marriage, etc.). The author doesn't stint in his discussion of just how difficult, complex, and rewarding a relationship with a truly wild thing can be. And owls are very interesting creatures! Beautiful drawings.