Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe

Written by Carl Safina

Narrated by Carl Safina

When ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in a near-death baby owl, they expected that, like other wild orphans they'd rescued, she'd be a temporary presence. But Alfie's 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.

Alfie Me is the story of the remarkable impact this little owl would have on their lives. The continuing bond of trust following her freedom-and her raising of her own wild brood-coincided 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 friend's life offered Carl and Patricia a view of existence from Alfie's perspective.

One can travel the world and go nowhere; one can be stuck keeping the faith at home and discover a new world. Safina's relationship with an owl made him want to better understand how people have viewed humanity's relationship with nature across cultures and throughout history. Interwoven with Safina's keen observations, insight, and reflections, Alfie Me is a work of profound beauties and magical timing harbored within one upended year.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Jan 16, 2024
• ISBN: 9781696613064

Carl Safina

Carl Safina is the founder of the Safina Center, which works to fuse scientific understanding of nature with a moral call to heal the natural world. He holds the chair for Nature and Humanity at Stony Brook University. Carl Safina has also presented the 10-part TV series Saving the Ocean with Carl Safina, and his TED talk (based on Beyond Words) has been viewed several million times.