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.
