The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar - Hardcover

Windrow, Martin

3.64

934 ratings by Goodreads

9780593072714: The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593072715 ISBN 13: 9780593072714

Publisher: Bantam Press, 2014

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

A moving and informative memoir of life with a much-loved tawny owl.

'Perched on the back of a sunlit chair was something about 9 inches tall and shaped rather like a plump toy penguin with a nose-job. It appeared to be wearing a one-piece knitted jumpsuit of pale grey fluff with brown stitching, complete with an attached balaclava helmet. From the face-hole of the fuzzy balaclava, two big, shiny black eyes gazed up at me trustfully. Kweep, it said quietly. Enchanted, I leant closer. It blinked its furry grey eyelids, then jumped up onto my right shoulder. It felt like a big, warm dandelion head against my cheek, and it smelt like a milky new kitten. Kweep, it repeated, very softly.'

When author Martin Windrow met tawny owlet Mumble, it was love at first sight. Raising her from a fledgling, through adolescence and into her prime years, Windrow recorded every detail of their life together in a south London tower block, and later Sussex. This is the touching, erudite and eccentric story of their 15-year relationship, complete with photographs and illustrations of the beautiful Mumble. Along the way, we are given fascinating insight into the ornithology of owls -- from their evolution and biology to their breeding and hunting tactics. The Owl Who Liked to Sit on Caesar is a witty, quirky and utterly charming account of the companionship between one man and his owl.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

MARTIN WINDROW is a military historian and author, and the founder publisher of Osprey Books. He is an Associate of the Royal Historical Society and a member of the Foreign Legion Association of Great Britain. He lives in East Sussex.

From Booklist:

The sweetly smiling older gent on this book’s jacket is seen inside in photos, too, but they depict a much-younger man, often with a little, stern owl perched on his shoulder. The tawny owl, Mumble, met her end too soon, and thus it took Windrow (The Last Valley, 2005) many years to put aside his sadness and pull together his notebooks and photos depicting their 15-year owl-man relationship, living together in England. Windrow has an endearing, entertaining voice, not without a sense of humor. He not only describes his relationship with the little owl (“love at first sight”) but also gives owl history, the species’ contemporary existence, precautions, and more. Windrow’s journal entries from the time are scattered throughout, and they reveal his careful attention to Mumble’s learning to “speak” and fly and adapt to her unusual life. Containing many photos as well as Christa Cook’s beautifully detailed sketches, this is a gentle, touching love story that will appeal to all pet owners, not just those fond of tawny owls, which Windrow describes as “something like cats that can fly.” --Eloise Kinney

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.