Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe

A Scientific American Best Staff Read of 2023A moving account of raising, then freeing, an orphaned screech owl, whose lasting friendship with the author illuminates humanitys relationship with the world.When ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in a near-death baby owl, they expected that, like other wild orphans theyd rescued, shed be a temporary presence. But Alfies feathers were not growing correctly, requiring prolonged care. As Alfie grew and gained strength, she became a part of the family, joining a menagerie of dogs and chickens and making a home for herself in the backyard. Carl and Patricia began to realize that the healing was mutual; Alfie had been braided into their world, and was now pulling them into hers.Alfie & Me is the story of the remarkable impact this little owl would have on their lives. The continuing bond of trust following her freedomand her raising of her own wild broodcoincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a year in which Carl and Patricia were forced to spend time at home without the normal obligations of work and travel. Witnessing all the fine details of their feathered friends life offered Carl and Patricia a view of existence from Alfies perspective.One can travel the world and go nowhere; one can be stuck keeping the faith at home and discover a new world. Safinas relationship with an owl made him want to better understand how people have viewed humanitys relationship with nature across cultures and throughout history. Interwoven with Safinas keen observations, insight, and reflections, Alfie & Me is a work of profound beauties and magical timing harbored within one upended year.