Messages from an Owl (Princeton Legacy Library) - Hardcover

Terman, Max R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691011052 ISBN 13: 9780691011059

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 1996

Synopsis

When zoologist Max Terman came to the rescue of a great horned owlet in a Kansas town park, he embarked on an adventure that would test his scientific ingenuity and lead to unprecedented observations of an owl's hidden life in the wild. In Messages from an Owl, Terman not only relates his experiences nursing the starving owlet, "Stripey," back to health and teaching it survival skills in his barn, but also describes the anxiety and elation of letting a companion loose into an uncertain world. Once Terman felt that Stripey knew how to dive after prey, he set the owl free. At this point his story could have ended, with no clue as to what the young bird's fate would be--had it not been for Terman's experimentation with radio tags. By strapping the tags to Stripey, he actually managed to follow the owl into the wild and observe for himself the behavior of a hand-reared individual reunited with its natural environment.

Through this unique use of telemetry, Terman tracked Stripey for over six years after the bird left the scientist's barn and took up residence in the surrounding countryside on the Kansas prairie. The radio beacon provided Terman with information on the owl's regular patterns of playing, hunting, exploring, and protecting. It enabled him to witness the moments when Stripey was bantered and mobbed by crows, when other owls launched fierce attacks, and when a prospective mate caught Stripey's eye. On occasional returns to the barn, the owl would follow Terman around as he performed chores, usually waiting for a handout.

Until now, scientists have generally believed that an owl nurtured by humans becomes ill-adapted for meeting the challenges of life in the wild. Terman's research proves otherwise. Stripey surpassed all expectations by becoming a totally independent wild creature. With Terman, however, Stripey remained tame, allowing the author to explore something one rarely sees in owls: a warm interest in humanity. Terman engagingly re-creates this dimension of Stripey as he describes with humor and compassion the daily challenges of probing the life of a "phantom winged tiger."

Originally published in 1996.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

About this title

About the Author

Max R. Terman in Professor of Biology at Tabor College.

From the Inside Flap

"There are very few books written by knowledgeable scientists that truly show the animal (and the researcher) 'beneath the skin.' This is one of them."--Bernd Heinrich, author of One Man's Owl

Reviews

In the spring of 1988, Terman found a young great horned owl in a town park in Kansas. A professor of biology at Tabor College, he took the starving bird to his laboratory and nursed it back to health. Then the owl, Stripey, became the subject of a long-term behavioral study using radiotelemetry. Terman gives an engaging account of his experiences in training and tracking a captive-reared great horned owl. Once Stripey proved he could capture prey, Terman attached radio tags and set him free. For six years, he observed Stripey-leaving home, establishing a territory, finding a mate. In 1993, he discovered the owl incubating two eggs; Stripey was a female! She has remained tame with Terman, yet is a completely independent wild creature. Readers who enjoyed Bernd Heinrich's One Man's Owl will want to add this book to their library. Photos.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691011052
• ISBN 13: 9780691011059
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240