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The Secret Life of the Owl
‘Dusk is filling the valley. It is the time of the gloaming, the owl-light.
Out in the wood, the resident tawny has started calling, Hoo-hoo-hoo-h-o-o-o.’
There is something about owls. They feature in every major culture from the Stone Age onwards. They are creatures of the night, and thus of magic. They are the birds of ill-tidings, the avian messengers from the Other Side. But owls – with the sapient flatness of their faces, their big, round eyes, their paternal expressions – are also reassuringly familiar. We see them as wise, like Athena’s owl, and loyal, like Harry Potter's Hedwig. Human-like, in other words.
No other species has so captivated us.
In The Secret Life of the Owl, John Lewis-Stempel explores the legends and history of the owl. And in vivid, lyrical prose, he celebrates all the realities of this magnificent creature, whose natural powers are as fantastic as any myth.
'John Lewis-Stempel is one of the best nature writers of his generation' Country Life
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
28 people are currently reading
1069 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
May 28, 2018
I have always had a thing about owls. I have a mug with an owl on it, a few pottery owls, pictures, bookmarks and so on. So I had to have this little book, only ninety pages long. It is a combination of looking at the nature of owls, the different species that live in and visit the British Isles and some of the history and mythology of owls.
The parts relating to anatomy and physiology are fairly brief, but the interesting parts are the mythology, poetry and history.
This is the poet Edward Thomas writing during the First World War:
Downhill I came, hungry, and yet not starved;
Cold, yet had heat within me that was proof
Against the North wind; tired, yet so that rest
Had seemed the sweetest thing under a roof.
Then at the inn I had food, fire, and rest,
Knowing how hungry, cold, and tired was I.
All of the night was quite barred out except
An owl’s cry, a most melancholy cry
Shaken out long and clear upon the hill,
No merry note, nor cause of merriment,
But one telling me plain what I escaped
And others could not, that night, as in I went.
And salted was my food, and my repose,
Salted and sobered, too, by the bird’s voice
Speaking for all who lay under the stars,
Soldiers and poor, unable to rejoice.
The owl reminds the soldier that although he is safe, warm and fed, there are those that are not.
We Have owls as harbingers of death, wise owls, wol in Winnie the Pooh, owls as a symbol of sobriety (various parts of the owl, eaten, boiled etc were supposed to cure drunkenness), putting the heart and foot of an owl under your arm to cure rabies and other such interesting pieces of information. Owls have been kept as pets, Florence Nightingale had one. But nothing beats seeing an owl gliding across a frosty field at dawn or dusk.
Lear’s The Owl and the Pussycat inevitably gets in there (never really a favourite) as does the old nursery rhyme used to try to keep children quiet:
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
There are stories about owls from around the world, China and a Native American tale and there are records of owls from cave paintings dating back many thousands of years. It’s a mine of owlish information, if a little too short for me. The book starts with The Owls by Baudelaire and it seems a good place to finish:
Among the black yews, their shelter,
the owls are ranged in a row,
like alien deities, the glow,
of their red eyes pierces. They ponder.
They perch there without moving,
till that melancholy moment
when quenching the falling sun,
the shadows are growing.
Their stance teaches the wise
to fear, in this world of ours,
all tumult, and all movement:
Mankind drunk on brief shadows
always incurs a punishment
for his longing to stir, and go.
The parts relating to anatomy and physiology are fairly brief, but the interesting parts are the mythology, poetry and history.
This is the poet Edward Thomas writing during the First World War:
Downhill I came, hungry, and yet not starved;
Cold, yet had heat within me that was proof
Against the North wind; tired, yet so that rest
Had seemed the sweetest thing under a roof.
Then at the inn I had food, fire, and rest,
Knowing how hungry, cold, and tired was I.
All of the night was quite barred out except
An owl’s cry, a most melancholy cry
Shaken out long and clear upon the hill,
No merry note, nor cause of merriment,
But one telling me plain what I escaped
And others could not, that night, as in I went.
And salted was my food, and my repose,
Salted and sobered, too, by the bird’s voice
Speaking for all who lay under the stars,
Soldiers and poor, unable to rejoice.
The owl reminds the soldier that although he is safe, warm and fed, there are those that are not.
We Have owls as harbingers of death, wise owls, wol in Winnie the Pooh, owls as a symbol of sobriety (various parts of the owl, eaten, boiled etc were supposed to cure drunkenness), putting the heart and foot of an owl under your arm to cure rabies and other such interesting pieces of information. Owls have been kept as pets, Florence Nightingale had one. But nothing beats seeing an owl gliding across a frosty field at dawn or dusk.
Lear’s The Owl and the Pussycat inevitably gets in there (never really a favourite) as does the old nursery rhyme used to try to keep children quiet:
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
There are stories about owls from around the world, China and a Native American tale and there are records of owls from cave paintings dating back many thousands of years. It’s a mine of owlish information, if a little too short for me. The book starts with The Owls by Baudelaire and it seems a good place to finish:
Among the black yews, their shelter,
the owls are ranged in a row,
like alien deities, the glow,
of their red eyes pierces. They ponder.
They perch there without moving,
till that melancholy moment
when quenching the falling sun,
the shadows are growing.
Their stance teaches the wise
to fear, in this world of ours,
all tumult, and all movement:
Mankind drunk on brief shadows
always incurs a punishment
for his longing to stir, and go.
February 20, 2018
I dedicate this review to my dear Mum, 1935-2003, the wisest owl of all.
This could be one of the hardest reviews I'm ever likely to write, and the reason is nothing to do with this perfect little book.
When I was growing up, I was surrounded by all things owlish. Pictures on the wall, ornaments here and there, owl clocks, owl crockery. You name it, we had the owlish version!
My Mum was an owl fanatic! And, suffice to say, it rubbed off on me big time.
For my birthday, one of my other favourite humans ever, my partner, bought me this little gem, and I was delighted. Little did I know, but this beautifully written book conjured up a whole host of feelings that I did not expect.
At just 96 pages long, John Lewis-Stempel has produced something that I shall treasure forever. It doesn't just contain lots of facts and figures about this truly wonderful bird, he also includes the historical side of all things owl, the myths and legends of days gone by, and, the best bit of all? Poetry. Owl Poetry.
Near the beginning the author included the poem by Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussycat. This poem helped me learn to read! This poem, (all verses) was read again and again at bedtime. With my Mum.
Eventually, I'd learnt how to read it perfectly, write it perfectly and recite it faultlessly. And unbeknownst to me, it was in this book, I started to read it, and couldn't see the words for my tears.
Once I'd gathered up my senses and tissues, I read on, discovering the weird and wonderfully fascinating secret lives of a creature that has been with me all my life.
This book is stunning. I'd give it fifty million stars if I could. And I know that one of those stars, the brightest one, is my dear Mum. 💗
This could be one of the hardest reviews I'm ever likely to write, and the reason is nothing to do with this perfect little book.
When I was growing up, I was surrounded by all things owlish. Pictures on the wall, ornaments here and there, owl clocks, owl crockery. You name it, we had the owlish version!
My Mum was an owl fanatic! And, suffice to say, it rubbed off on me big time.
For my birthday, one of my other favourite humans ever, my partner, bought me this little gem, and I was delighted. Little did I know, but this beautifully written book conjured up a whole host of feelings that I did not expect.
At just 96 pages long, John Lewis-Stempel has produced something that I shall treasure forever. It doesn't just contain lots of facts and figures about this truly wonderful bird, he also includes the historical side of all things owl, the myths and legends of days gone by, and, the best bit of all? Poetry. Owl Poetry.
Near the beginning the author included the poem by Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussycat. This poem helped me learn to read! This poem, (all verses) was read again and again at bedtime. With my Mum.
Eventually, I'd learnt how to read it perfectly, write it perfectly and recite it faultlessly. And unbeknownst to me, it was in this book, I started to read it, and couldn't see the words for my tears.
Once I'd gathered up my senses and tissues, I read on, discovering the weird and wonderfully fascinating secret lives of a creature that has been with me all my life.
This book is stunning. I'd give it fifty million stars if I could. And I know that one of those stars, the brightest one, is my dear Mum. 💗
November 9, 2018
“There is something about owls. More than any other family of birds they produce a reaction in us, and have done so across time and continents.” Some species-specific natural/cultural histories can be long-winded, giving significantly more information than your averagely interested lay reader needs (Foxes Unearthed, for instance), but Lewis-Stempel’s short book about Britain’s owls gets it just right.
He gives some general information about the family, surveys the native species and occasional visitors, gives tips for telling them apart – I’m going to photograph a page on the difference between the five major species’ pellets for future reference – and shares legends and poems that feature owls (including a jaunty little Tennyson piece that reads like a folk song; I’ll suggest that my husband turn it into one). The black-and-white illustrations by Beci Kelly are charming, too. It’s a shame I missed this when it first came out, but it would still make a great gift for a bird lover this Christmas.
He gives some general information about the family, surveys the native species and occasional visitors, gives tips for telling them apart – I’m going to photograph a page on the difference between the five major species’ pellets for future reference – and shares legends and poems that feature owls (including a jaunty little Tennyson piece that reads like a folk song; I’ll suggest that my husband turn it into one). The black-and-white illustrations by Beci Kelly are charming, too. It’s a shame I missed this when it first came out, but it would still make a great gift for a bird lover this Christmas.
November 24, 2018
This is a beautiful little book that will make a lovely gift at any time of year. JL-S explores the lives of different types of owl - tawny, barn, snowy, short and long-eared, to name but a few. We learn that owls have been around for millennia, evidenced by a 30,000 year old carving on a French cave wall, and have been the stuff of myths for at least that long. In some cultures, the owl is evil - he flies in the darkness and all evil thrives in darkness, he is the bearer of souls to the other world, he is the harbinger of death. In others, such as Ancient Greece, he is wise and a lucky talisman. There are references to owls in literature since ancient times. Shakespeare often referred to owls. In more modern times, we have Winnie the Pooh’s wise Wol, and in Harry Potter, Hedwig, the snowy owl.
Interspersed with all this factual information are poems about owls, including a retelling of a 13th century Middle English poem, The Owl and the Nightingale, an allegory in which the penitential owl represents the Church, the nightingale secular pleasure and the court.
This small book is a pleasure to read and a mine of fascinating information. Highly recommended.
Interspersed with all this factual information are poems about owls, including a retelling of a 13th century Middle English poem, The Owl and the Nightingale, an allegory in which the penitential owl represents the Church, the nightingale secular pleasure and the court.
This small book is a pleasure to read and a mine of fascinating information. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2017
Birds of prey have always fascinated me, they are the pinnacle of evolution as predators and have honed their techniques to maximise their efficiency. A glimpse of one is always special, whether it is a pair of buzzards wheeling on the thermals, a kestrel hovering over a motorway verge or the stoop of the feathered exocet that is the peregrine. I have only ever seen one owl in the wild though; just after dusk this shadow dropped off a tree from the woods near my back garden and glided close over my head. It was an unnerving experience.
Nocturnal creatures have always had an element of enchantment about them with their ability to move in almost total darkness. Those that fly, like bats and owls, can seem almost magical. Their special qualities have captivated mankind for millennia, and there are traces of owls in cultures going back as far as the Stone Age. Their rounded faces with the penetrating gaze have made us consider them as wise creatures but their night activities meant that some thought they were bearers of omens and messages from the other side. The legends that they have inspired are only equalled by their actual abilities; some species can rotate their head almost all the way round, some can hover, others can fly completely silently,
I see him. Just a leaf blown through the pillars of the autumn oaks
John Lewis-Stempel is one of our current crop of writers that have taken the mantle of nature writing from luminaries of the genre such as J.A. Baker and Roger Deakin and made it their own. Lewis-Stempel has drawn on the prose and poetry from a variety of sources to shine a light on the elusive owl as well as drawing on personal experience of the owls that inhabit his land in Herefordshire. I could read John Lewis-Stempel’s prose all day and this is almost perfect with just one tiny flaw; it is too short! This is a lovely addition to my natural history library. 4.5 stars
Nocturnal creatures have always had an element of enchantment about them with their ability to move in almost total darkness. Those that fly, like bats and owls, can seem almost magical. Their special qualities have captivated mankind for millennia, and there are traces of owls in cultures going back as far as the Stone Age. Their rounded faces with the penetrating gaze have made us consider them as wise creatures but their night activities meant that some thought they were bearers of omens and messages from the other side. The legends that they have inspired are only equalled by their actual abilities; some species can rotate their head almost all the way round, some can hover, others can fly completely silently,
I see him. Just a leaf blown through the pillars of the autumn oaks
John Lewis-Stempel is one of our current crop of writers that have taken the mantle of nature writing from luminaries of the genre such as J.A. Baker and Roger Deakin and made it their own. Lewis-Stempel has drawn on the prose and poetry from a variety of sources to shine a light on the elusive owl as well as drawing on personal experience of the owls that inhabit his land in Herefordshire. I could read John Lewis-Stempel’s prose all day and this is almost perfect with just one tiny flaw; it is too short! This is a lovely addition to my natural history library. 4.5 stars
December 4, 2017
John Lewis-Stempel's The Secret Life of the Owl looked wonderful. In this rather slim volume of nature writing, the author explores myths and legends around the owl, as well as presenting profiles of all of the owl species resident in Great Britain. I found Lewis-Stempel's prose both measured and peaceful, as well as informative. The Secret Life of the Owl is filled with commentary, scientific detail, poems about owls, and Lewis-Stempel's own observations, and is paired with some rather lovely illustrations. A lovely little book; if anything, I wish it had been a little longer.
July 24, 2020
4.5 stars
Delightful ☺️
Beautifully written.
Short, but rich with information, superstition, and even poetry.
🦉
Delightful ☺️
Beautifully written.
Short, but rich with information, superstition, and even poetry.
🦉
February 18, 2018
John Lewis-Stempel is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for nature writing. He writes lyrically and with passion, and he has a vast knowledge of the natural world and our interactions with it that you can sense doesn’t just come from reading a lot of books on the subject.
That being said, this book is a bit weak in the ‘lyrical’ department. I read it in one day, it being a rather short one, and it is way more factual than the other works I’ve read by him so far – and I would say that it is more a book for the nerdy nature geeks that want to know more about owls without diving into a large spotter’s guide or the likes, than it is a book for the ones seeking a beautiful read on owls.
The two stars do not really reflect the book itself, but rather what I had hoped/expected it to be, and it has not dissuaded me from reading more by him – I know what he is capable of, so I’m sure I’ll find exactly that in some of his other works!
/NK
That being said, this book is a bit weak in the ‘lyrical’ department. I read it in one day, it being a rather short one, and it is way more factual than the other works I’ve read by him so far – and I would say that it is more a book for the nerdy nature geeks that want to know more about owls without diving into a large spotter’s guide or the likes, than it is a book for the ones seeking a beautiful read on owls.
The two stars do not really reflect the book itself, but rather what I had hoped/expected it to be, and it has not dissuaded me from reading more by him – I know what he is capable of, so I’m sure I’ll find exactly that in some of his other works!
/NK
December 12, 2018
What can I say about this small, beautiful little book? It’s about owls and their different species and cultural significance with beautiful writing and illustrations. If I had someone in my life who loved owls as much as I do, it would be the first present I’d buy them.
January 29, 2018
a cute little book that was a delight to read beneath the tree in our garden
October 14, 2022
John Lewis-Stempel, Star-Autor des Nature Writing, zoomte sich in seinen bisher ins Deutsche übersetzten Büchern an Ökosysteme direkt vor seiner Tür in Herefordshire heran: sein Wald, sein Teich, seine Wiese. Aufhänger für sein schmales Eulenbuch sind u. a. „sein Waldkauz“ Old Brown mit Gefährtin, deren Gelege von Jahr zu Jahr größer wurde, nachdem Stempel seine Nutztiere im Wäldchen weiden ließ, das Brombeergestrüpp verschwand und Mäuse auf dem abgeweideten lichten Waldboden keinen Schutz mehr fanden. Das standorttreue Kauz-Paar übernimmt in Lewis-Stempels Wäldchen die Wächter-Rolle und vertreibt Eulen, Füchse, Dachse und fremde Hunde aus seinem Revier.
Der Autor weitet seinen Blick von der Farm auf große Zusammenhänge, indem er die spezielle Eulenpopulation der britischen Inseln vorstellt. Wir lernen über den Steinkauz, der erst im 19. Jahrhundert die das Land Inseln eroberte (zum Ärger der Wildhüter), dass Schneeeulen außerhalb des Potter-Versums in England nicht heimisch sind und welch geringe Veränderungen den Lebensraum von Schleiereulen bedrohen können. Lewis-Stempel befasst sich mit Mythen, Aberglauben und der Darstellung der nachtaktiven Tiere in der Literatur.
Das schmale Buch mit blau-weißem Cover und luxuriös sattblauem Leseband ist ein weiteres Beispiel dafür, dass kaum ein Staat so viele „Birder“ und im Naturschutz Aktive hervorbringt wie Großbritannien.
Der Autor weitet seinen Blick von der Farm auf große Zusammenhänge, indem er die spezielle Eulenpopulation der britischen Inseln vorstellt. Wir lernen über den Steinkauz, der erst im 19. Jahrhundert die das Land Inseln eroberte (zum Ärger der Wildhüter), dass Schneeeulen außerhalb des Potter-Versums in England nicht heimisch sind und welch geringe Veränderungen den Lebensraum von Schleiereulen bedrohen können. Lewis-Stempel befasst sich mit Mythen, Aberglauben und der Darstellung der nachtaktiven Tiere in der Literatur.
Das schmale Buch mit blau-weißem Cover und luxuriös sattblauem Leseband ist ein weiteres Beispiel dafür, dass kaum ein Staat so viele „Birder“ und im Naturschutz Aktive hervorbringt wie Großbritannien.
July 20, 2022
Owls have always been really intriguing birds that easily capture my attention and curiosity and they're made even more so by reading this book. The facts in this book may help clear up a bit of the owls mystery and reveal what they really are.
April 28, 2019
My feelings are so mixed.
1. Why, why, why does it have that title. First off, gentle prospective reader, this book has nothing to do with the secret life of owls. Think British Owl fieldbook with a bit o’ random poetry.
2. This author, who I was terribly excited to read, is definitely not the greatest nature writer of our generation. If he is, we’re doomed.
So was it a charming fieldbook to British owls, with a bit of lovely old poetry? Yes. Was it THE SECRET LIFE OF OWLS, which I paid good money to read? No.
C’mon, book.
1. Why, why, why does it have that title. First off, gentle prospective reader, this book has nothing to do with the secret life of owls. Think British Owl fieldbook with a bit o’ random poetry.
2. This author, who I was terribly excited to read, is definitely not the greatest nature writer of our generation. If he is, we’re doomed.
So was it a charming fieldbook to British owls, with a bit of lovely old poetry? Yes. Was it THE SECRET LIFE OF OWLS, which I paid good money to read? No.
C’mon, book.
July 27, 2021
This is not necessarily a bad book, but it was not what I was expected. I picked up this book because I wanted to learn more about owls, and while I enjoyed the first part of the book very much, the latter part, which was mostly poetry, folk tales and historical tie-ins, felt superfluous.
September 22, 2025
Fascinating! This book is packed full of owl facts and I learned a lot from it. It’s not written dryly either but has an almost lyrical quality at times to the writing. One to be reread.
March 8, 2025
Interesting compilation of owl based material. Poems, essays and facts. The bird is an enigmatic creature of the night, said to portend death and also wisdom.
“A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?”
“A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?”
January 31, 2019
Review to come :)
October 17, 2021
4.5 stars
My bookclub picked this and I am so happy they did. This author is one I have been meaning to try and he did not disappoint.
Through this book we see the observation of owls in nature & how it has changed, owls in myth, folklore & literature.
The odd littered illustration with poem added to enjoyment.
I would have liked more and it to be longer. I will be looking out for the other books by this author now.
A very informative beautiful book.
My bookclub picked this and I am so happy they did. This author is one I have been meaning to try and he did not disappoint.
Through this book we see the observation of owls in nature & how it has changed, owls in myth, folklore & literature.
The odd littered illustration with poem added to enjoyment.
I would have liked more and it to be longer. I will be looking out for the other books by this author now.
A very informative beautiful book.
March 11, 2023
Charming, gentle audiobook, beautifully narrated.
December 22, 2025
So cute! Well written and describes owl behavior in a very magical and easy to digest way!
February 21, 2021
Beautiful
September 10, 2023
This was an enjoyable mix of anecdote, poetry, history and fact, about the owls that could be found in the UK. With ink drawings and lovely writing this was just about the right length for something so focused on one thing.
March 25, 2019
Duration: 1 hr 51 mins
The Secret Life of the Owl Is a wonderful audiobook by John Lewis-Stempel, charting the owl's place in history, Mythology, and nature.
'Dusk is filling the valley. It is the time of the gloaming, the owl-light.
Out in the wood, the resident tawny has started calling, Hoo-hoo-hoo-h-o-o-o.'
This charming audiobook has a soothing, lyrical style, and explores the relationship between humans and these beautiful birds in a format which is part love-letter, part lament. In a changing landscape with much of their habitat disappearing it is hard not to note a sense of nostalgia in the author's words.
Wonderfully narrated by Roy McMillan, whose smooth, pleasing voice is equally authoritative and conversational, The Secret Life of the Owl Is a journey through time as well as nature; through our world and that of the owl, to examine the places where they intersect. From their 58-million-year old fossilised ancestors, to the howlet's wing bubbling away in a Shakespearian witches' cauldron, and the pocket-sized pet of Florence Nightingale, Lewis-Stempel details the myriad ways in which owls appear in historical records, culture, and literature - variously as the spirit of a dire warning, a wise sage, or a cherished pet.
In this book we also learn about the biology, behaviours, and habitats of the owl, and how it is so perfectly adapted to exploit the night. Owls are an iconic part of the landscape in many places across the world, and their impact upon the communities with whom they share their territories can not be underestimated.
Despite the book's brevity the information it contains manages to be comprehensive without ever feeling lecturing, instead seeming to marvel in the complex history and ecology it imparts to the listener. I loved the snippets of poetry and verse which Lewis-Stempel includes alongside the factual information, especially given McMillan's enchanting delivery.
This is the perfect book for anyone who revels in the natural world and its creatures, and is not afraid to peer out into the dark...
If you liked this review then please join me for more!
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The Secret Life of the Owl Is a wonderful audiobook by John Lewis-Stempel, charting the owl's place in history, Mythology, and nature.
'Dusk is filling the valley. It is the time of the gloaming, the owl-light.
Out in the wood, the resident tawny has started calling, Hoo-hoo-hoo-h-o-o-o.'
This charming audiobook has a soothing, lyrical style, and explores the relationship between humans and these beautiful birds in a format which is part love-letter, part lament. In a changing landscape with much of their habitat disappearing it is hard not to note a sense of nostalgia in the author's words.
Wonderfully narrated by Roy McMillan, whose smooth, pleasing voice is equally authoritative and conversational, The Secret Life of the Owl Is a journey through time as well as nature; through our world and that of the owl, to examine the places where they intersect. From their 58-million-year old fossilised ancestors, to the howlet's wing bubbling away in a Shakespearian witches' cauldron, and the pocket-sized pet of Florence Nightingale, Lewis-Stempel details the myriad ways in which owls appear in historical records, culture, and literature - variously as the spirit of a dire warning, a wise sage, or a cherished pet.
In this book we also learn about the biology, behaviours, and habitats of the owl, and how it is so perfectly adapted to exploit the night. Owls are an iconic part of the landscape in many places across the world, and their impact upon the communities with whom they share their territories can not be underestimated.
Despite the book's brevity the information it contains manages to be comprehensive without ever feeling lecturing, instead seeming to marvel in the complex history and ecology it imparts to the listener. I loved the snippets of poetry and verse which Lewis-Stempel includes alongside the factual information, especially given McMillan's enchanting delivery.
This is the perfect book for anyone who revels in the natural world and its creatures, and is not afraid to peer out into the dark...
If you liked this review then please join me for more!
| Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
January 23, 2023
John Lewis-Stempel nimmt uns mit auf einen kleinen Spaziergang, erzählt uns von seinen eigenen Erlebnissen mit dem Waldkauz auf seiner Farm, von Eulen im Allgemeinen und speziell denen in Großbritannien ansäßigen und von der Bedeutung der Figur der Eule in der menschlichen Geschichte.
Mir haben der Prolog als auch der Epilog sehr gut gefallen, in denen der Autor insbesondere von seinen Erlebnissen erzählt. Auch kommen hier schöne Naturbeschreibungen vor, die ich gerne las. Auch die Einführung mit einigen Fakten über Eulen im Allgemeinen fand ich interessant. Dann wurde es für mich aber etwas stumpf. Die einzelnen Arten werden nur aufgezählt und kurz beschrieben, und es folgt eben eine Auflistung, wo die erste Eule in einer Höhle eingraviert wurde, was sie in verschiedenen Kulturkreisen bedeutet, warum sie auf einer Münze abgebildet ist, etc. Alles jeweils ins wenigen Sätzen und ohne roten Faden. Zwischendurch gab es immer mal wieder Gedichte; einem wurde sogar ein ganzes Kapitel gewidmet - wobei dann auch nur der Inhalt wiederholt wurde und am Ende in einem Satz die Deutung genannt wird.
Ich finde Eulen Klasse und lese gerne über sie, aber dieses Büchlein hat es für mich nicht ganz getan. Es war wie eine Broschüre, die man an der Information im Wildtierpark mitnehmen könnte, wären da nicht noch die wenigen persönlichen Eindrücke des Autoren selbst. Irgendwie habe ich da etwas mehr erwartet. Ganz nett für einen Abend, aber mehr auch nicht.
Mir haben der Prolog als auch der Epilog sehr gut gefallen, in denen der Autor insbesondere von seinen Erlebnissen erzählt. Auch kommen hier schöne Naturbeschreibungen vor, die ich gerne las. Auch die Einführung mit einigen Fakten über Eulen im Allgemeinen fand ich interessant. Dann wurde es für mich aber etwas stumpf. Die einzelnen Arten werden nur aufgezählt und kurz beschrieben, und es folgt eben eine Auflistung, wo die erste Eule in einer Höhle eingraviert wurde, was sie in verschiedenen Kulturkreisen bedeutet, warum sie auf einer Münze abgebildet ist, etc. Alles jeweils ins wenigen Sätzen und ohne roten Faden. Zwischendurch gab es immer mal wieder Gedichte; einem wurde sogar ein ganzes Kapitel gewidmet - wobei dann auch nur der Inhalt wiederholt wurde und am Ende in einem Satz die Deutung genannt wird.
Ich finde Eulen Klasse und lese gerne über sie, aber dieses Büchlein hat es für mich nicht ganz getan. Es war wie eine Broschüre, die man an der Information im Wildtierpark mitnehmen könnte, wären da nicht noch die wenigen persönlichen Eindrücke des Autoren selbst. Irgendwie habe ich da etwas mehr erwartet. Ganz nett für einen Abend, aber mehr auch nicht.
October 4, 2022
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and was utterly enchanted. I have always adored owls - finding them wonderful, beautiful and graceful creatures - with charming, definitely wise looking features (although, of course, they aren’t actually particularly wise - their eyeballs taking up the majority of the space in their skulls, and as John Lewis-Stempel says in the book - being significantly less intelligent than crows and other corvids). I have come to learn through listening to this book however, that there is a great deal more to these wonderful birds than I previously knew: from their folk law status as bringers of death and doom (due to their nocturnal behaviour), to the fact that the eggs of owls have (largely, I believe) never evolved any pigmentation, due to their owl’s continual use of a variety of naturally occurring holes to ‘create’ their nests, which has meant that they have never needed camouflage, nor identification markers. (Lewis-Stempel, J. 2018)
If you have any interest in these magical birds at all - be it that you simply find them pretty, or you are in fact an ornithologist - this book is a must read! You will fall in love with them many times over, and lament the fact that so often human activities are at the detriment to these fabulous creatures.
If you have any interest in these magical birds at all - be it that you simply find them pretty, or you are in fact an ornithologist - this book is a must read! You will fall in love with them many times over, and lament the fact that so often human activities are at the detriment to these fabulous creatures.
January 30, 2019
Well researched fact and passionate prose come together to form a compact and enjoyable, if not revolutionary look at the owl species native to Britain, and man's complicated relationship with them. John Lewis-Stempel can write beautifully, and he manages to convey genuine awe and respect for his subject matter, whilst remaining informative and unbiased.
That said, a section of the book looks at man's historic vilification of owls, suggesting that their association with evil, darkness, death, and suffering is unjust. However, he then ends the book by describing a particular owl as ‘The Lord of the Night’; detailing the joy it gets from the paralysing screams of a dying rabbit ringing out in the cold dead of night. Whilst it's one of the most evocative sequences in the book, it felt like an odd and somewhat contradictory tone to end on, given the previous attempts to redefine their reputation.
I can’t say I learned much from it, but it was an interesting overview nonetheless. I’d say it’s worth a read for those fascinated by owls, and for those who like their nature non-fiction presented in lovely prose, befitting of the sense of wonder that the creatures themselves evoke.
That said, a section of the book looks at man's historic vilification of owls, suggesting that their association with evil, darkness, death, and suffering is unjust. However, he then ends the book by describing a particular owl as ‘The Lord of the Night’; detailing the joy it gets from the paralysing screams of a dying rabbit ringing out in the cold dead of night. Whilst it's one of the most evocative sequences in the book, it felt like an odd and somewhat contradictory tone to end on, given the previous attempts to redefine their reputation.
I can’t say I learned much from it, but it was an interesting overview nonetheless. I’d say it’s worth a read for those fascinated by owls, and for those who like their nature non-fiction presented in lovely prose, befitting of the sense of wonder that the creatures themselves evoke.
July 27, 2019
The owl is one of my favourite animals, so I loved this little book. Beautiful, spellbinding, well-researched and compact, it's a tiny treasure trove for owl enthusiasts, full of interesting descriptions and facts about Britain's owls. It's truly a story about their secret life, the things that most of us have no idea they do, and all the different mannerisms different species have. I also really enjoyed the illustrations, poems and reading about different kinds of symbolism owls have carried through the ages. I especially loved the author including Old Brown in the narrative, as well as mentioning the owls from Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter! The single thing I didn't like was him saying that owls make good pets, the sole reason being that someone might read that and actually consider getting an owl - they are beautiful, wild animals and they should remain in the wild (we'll ignore the fact that I'd absolutely LOVE to have an owl pal). Not that I think he said it in an encouraging way, but if nothing else, after mentioning that, he should have mentioned how wrong it is too. All in all, an absolutely lovely book, both visually and narratively, and I really enjoyed reading it.
June 16, 2020
Listened to this in audio while walking the dog, I was hoping to see an owl while out as I went later in the evening but no luck. Great little book full of information I have learnt lots of facts on owls. I also loved the description of the moles “gentlemen in velvet jackets”.
December 31, 2022
This is excellent for the first half; it loses its momentum a little bit during the 'humans and owls' section, which is almost impressive for such a short book, but it was still quite lovely and I'm now happily replete with owl facts. A nice, gentle book to finish out the year.
December 31, 2020
Yeah it's a good book about owls.
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