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“Let me tell you about my neighbors, the owls,” writes Polly Atkin in this love letter to the clutch of tawny owlets residing near her home in the heart of England’s Lake District. Circumscribed by a chronic illness to her cottage and the surrounding area, she turns to the trees and the animals among them for companionship—especially the owl siblings who surprise and delight her. As Atkin watches them grow from curious fledglings into sleek raptors, she contemplates the act of survival and our place within it.
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We love to see your books out in the wild!
Readers from all over – Connecticut to Colorado, Iowa to Oshawa, San Antonio to San Luis Obispo, and beyond – read and responded to the first book club pick. Read on for different perspectives and reactions to themes of the book, interspersed with your favorite quotes. Plus, some awesome photos of your local owls!
“I chose this title as our book club pick for a few reasons, most notably Polly Atkin's writing, which just has to be shared! Moving, insightful, tender, fierce, she captures what it's like to spend time in the company of owls so honestly and beautifully. 'I wish abundant forest for them, grasslands teeming with voles and no shotguns...' One thing I forgot to ask in our discussion questions is who else cried reading the last page? Surely not just me..." —Lyzy
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The book overall, and the chapter “Branching Out Early” in particular, sparked a lot of feedback on human intervention with wildlife. In this chapter, an owlet is on the ground and many people gather to take photos and begin to wonder if the young bird may be in distress ... A fellow observer encourages author Polly Atkin to bring the animal to a local wildlife charity. She begins to doubt her assertion that they will be fine, and must make a decision. She asks, When should nature take its course? What do the owls know that we do not?
“Not all eggs hatch, not all hatchlings fledge, and not all fledglings survive to adulthood. It breaks our hearts, but humans stepping in is not always the best answer.” —Jessica
“I know that humans’ lives and decision-making affects animals, but at the end of the day, they know how to run their lives better than we do.” —Mary
“Polly was so correct in knowing that it shouldn’t be a hobbyist or every day person to assist in an emergency, despite best intentions (because frankly, I’d be one of those folks myself) but to rely on experts who can make the correct decision on when to step in and when to allow nature to work its magic.” —Katie
“Humans should not intervene unless a creature is in obvious pain or distress.” —Cyndi
Lucy shared these insights from her experience:
“This is always a hard question. Having worked in wildlife rehabilitation, I have seen animals come in that didn’t need to (young animals that were healthy) and I have seen animals admitted that desperately needed care (caught by cats or struck by cars). Using expert resources and hotlines is the best way to determine if a wild animal needs care if you are unsure. The center I worked for would get phone calls from all over the world and even if the sanctuary isn’t close to you, they can definitely provide support and help answer questions. From the situation the author describes the thing I found frustrating were the crowds watching the owls. Human behavior like this can interfere with natural behaviors because animals are then paying attention to you and fearing you. I am a birder and definitely enjoy spending time viewing the wildlife but it’s very important to respect their space too.”
And while most readers agreed that in individual situations, trusting nature to take its course is often the right call, Sophia raised a great point about human intervention at a high level:
“Humans have been interfering with endangered animals for a while now: from sea turtles to the whooping crane. I think human intervention is worth it to save endangered species. I also think that a lot of the reasons for intervention are caused by humans. Examples would be climate change, motor accidents, and habitat loss.”
Deborah put it this way:
“I generally think humans should only intervene with wildlife when wildlife is being adversely affected by humans or their populations are suffering in some way due to human-caused impacts and we actually have a clue about the usual behavior and needs of a given species…Owls know how to be owls and we don’t!”
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We get to know Polly Atkin's owls as well as her home in England's Lake District throughout the book. We asked you to describe your relationship with your local patch. Is there a bird species you've observed closely or gotten to know intimately because of regular proximity?
“I have a very close relationship with my patch. I’ve had a Spotted Towhee nesting in my backyard. I see the parents all the time getting seed, hopping around. There are some blackberries they have nest in. I haven’t tried looking for the nest, but I know it’s there.”—Spencer
"We have had a pair of Great Horned Owls nesting either in our subdivision or surrounding forest for the first time in two years. I first heard the hoots of the mating pair in the wee hours of the morning, just as it was barely light enough for me to see enough to walk my dog. They would move around and call and answer for a short while, until the sunlight reached a certain brightness and then they went silent. After a few days, I stopped hearing their hoots, and I knew they had a nest somewhere nearby, although I never found out where it was.
It was about a month or so until I experienced several encounters with at least one adult and one or two of their offspring.
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| Again, it was barely light and my pup and I were almost home, when an adult flew out of a tree somewhere behind me, swooped down over my head, and landed prominently on a thick branch of an ancient Juniper tree that reached out over the street where we were walking. The owl had landed with back towards us, followed by that characteristic quick swivel of the head to watch us walk by." —Rebecca
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| “The hummingbird feeder on my back deck has become a haven for a trio of Anna’s hummingbirds. They have their favorite roosts in the neighbor’s trees, and I love watching the two males turn their heads side-to-side, suddenly letting the sun catch their breast feathers, flashing red. All three insist on having the feeder to themselves, but the female seems more okay with me spying on her. The few times they have swooped closer to me to investigate have taken my breath away, a small but mighty gust of wind in my face.” —Jessica
“I have a young oak tree in my backyard planted by a squirrel. I've watched this tree go through awkward adolescence and become a beautiful young oak. It draws all sorts of birds. One of my favorites to watch are the White-breasted Nuthatches. They move down the tree looking for goodies. I now recognize their calls."—Erin
“Currently my feathered visitors are bringing their young and feeding and teaching them. I root for the young ones and smile as they learn to land on the feeders (sometimes missing the mark and landing in a hanging plant.) Yesterday it was raining heavily, and I had my first two Orchard Orioles of the season–both soaked through–come for a bite." —Chris
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| “I've always had a fondness for hawks, but it was an Osprey who visits the parking lot of my office that captivated me upon first sight. Now I look for them constantly when I head into work – sometimes I'm very lucky and other times I'm disappointed that I haven't been visited by my friend. Polly mentions wanting to see the owlets as much as possible, but also realizes her unending curiosity is disturbing the young owls and their family. It's hard to realize that in order to protect, sometimes you have to step away..." —Katie
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| “Polly Atkin's connection her Tawny Owl neighbors and her own navigating of disability as she birded were incredibly reflective of my own experiences, even as I had to look up what was common in England or what the word bracken meant. Her sense of growing connection to the owls as she had more opportunity to observe them was an experience my household had as well, and it changed all of us. This year the owls chose a different nesting spot, and while I still hear them calling, it is more distant ... This year we have a pair of Gray Catbirds nesting in the tree where the owlets used to often sit, so that feels like an amazing consolation prize." —Cat
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| We love to see your owls! |
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Atkin writes about the human activity that has changed Grasmere. We also asked you to tell us about how your local patch has changed or been impacted by human development:
“A couple of years ago, the large eucalyptus trees near my house were cut down. Although it was essential for fire safety reasons, I really miss hearing owls calling to each other in the evenings." —Carolyn
“Every tree that's trimmed, field mowed, sand that drifts has an immediate impact on a bird's life." —Deborah
“It's a hopeless feeling when I hear someone say what difference does my one bottle, or my one vote, or my one purchase on Amazon make. I think even children understand ripple effects. Before I get going on a tangent, I'll just say I am grateful that there are enough people interested in birds that there is a bookstore and book club entirely devoted to them. Things like this bring me towards hopefulness." —Dorothy (We're grateful for this, too!)
“I get very emotional when human actions negatively impact wildlife. Road work is currently disrupting our elk population."—Tess
“Here some wildlife is moving out of the forest and into town. Most notably are the elk. Very few seem to have migrated last winter to their hidden retreat from hunters and the bleak conditions of a forest in a serious drought stage. Now the elk call the golf courses and neighborhoods home—abundant water and forage and protection from hunters and predatory wildlife." —Rebecca
"I will tell this story: In the 1980s we lived in a classic California housing tract that had previously been a ranch or farm. The old water tower (empty of water) was still on the property next to our house. It was full of noisy owls who screeched at night. One night we heard the sound of a shotgun being cocked in our driveway...A man was standing there aiming at the water tower. When the police arrived, he explained he was looking to kill off the noisy owls who were disturbing his sleep. The would-be-owl-killer was taken away by law enforcement and we never saw him again."—Marilyn
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| In addition to her own observations, Polly Atkin learns much about owls from reading – everything from Romantic poetry to scientific monographs. Here’s a list of recommendations from members of the group – more books to explore: |
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| “I was amazed by the effort the author had to make to see these owls” |
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| “Her chapter about how owls process sound visually blew my mind!” |
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| “My spark bird book” |
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| “I used to have a phobia, but now I absolutely adore them” |
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| “Really taught me a lot! Now I’ve had my own small chicken flock for over a year.” |
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| “The first thing I thought of was daemons – animals can provide a lot of comfort and strength to people.” |
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| “Early influence, now classic!” |
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| “Seeing birds that have made the trek always brings me to a sense of awe and wonderment” |
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| “Just because non-human living things don’t ‘think’ like we do, does not mean that we are superior” |
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| “The owl has its own rules, its own life, and understands existence in a different way from us” |
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A few closing thoughts:
“I, too, cannot always get out due to health issues, and I admire the way that Polly Atkin does not give up on her owls, and plans so that she can have busy social times and time alone to be with her owls, in person or in books." —Cyndi
“I noticed something in Polly Atkin's choice of pronouns. When referencing either one or more of the owls and/or owlets, she uses 'they' and 'their' rather than the usual 'it' and 'its'. She appropriately identifies them as a 'being' rather than as an 'impersonal object' that is denoted by use of the neutral 'it'. Her usage highlights how we should perceive not just birds, but all wildlife, including us, and is a lesson we can all learn." —Rebecca
“I definitely lean towards reading science-y books. The Company of Owls was a nice switch up and offered a different perspective. Many times I think of a bird's development, biology, and natural history; but it is also so magical to mix them with creative realms like art and poetry." —Lucy
“The more we learn about other living things, it opens my mind to the multitude of ways that living things perceive and respond to being alive on this Earth." —Jessica
“Whenever I see migratory birds, I often think of the distance they travel year after year...but they continue to do it. They don't have constraints or obligations, they just live their lives. To me, being a bird is the ultimate representation of freedom. They just live." —Sophia
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Thanks again to all of our members! We love this community of bird-nerds and book-worms. And we’re excited to have more discussions about bird books with you. Coming up in the Buteo Book Club...
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| The Buteo Book Club is totally free to join and all are welcome. There’s no obligation to make a purchase and there’s no obligation to read every title. Our selections – six per year – include a mix of recent releases and modern classics that we think will spark great conversations. Know someone who might like to join? Share the sign up link! |
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1 comment
Would these discussions ever be recorded?