For
the past 25 years Daniel Butler has lived in a sixteenth century farmhouse in
the Cambrian Mountains near Rhayader, where he has kept hawks for almost as
long. The Owl House, however, is his account of his relationship with
two wild birds, barn owls which have nested at the farm over the years. In that
time they have become tame, allowing unusually close observation, and Butler is
able to record the lives of these two birds and his familiarity with them in
extraordinary detail.
This
intimate relationship becomes the starting point for an exploration of how the landscape
around Butler’s farmhouse – and further afield – has altered over the years,
and with it the fortunes of all kinds of wildlife, and in particular those of birds.
The changing face of the British countryside is a story of habitat loss, human
development and increased traffic and roads; increased housing; noise pollution
(especially important for owls); changing farming techniques and land use; the
use of agrochemicals; and human indifference to the effects of this. The
Cambrian Mountains may be one of the most remote and sparsely populated parts
of Britain but it is not immune to physical change and the loss of local tradition
and ways of living.
The Owl House is a book of multiple but interwoven themes, including pastoral
writing; the relationship between man and bird; environmental exploration. Daniel
Butler’s knowledge of birds, the natural world and his particular locale meld
these into an evocative and informative book. For fans of H is for Hawk and Owls of the Eastern Ice.