This small book is based on a nice idea. In the early part of the last century, W H Hudson wrote an account of a visit to a village in the Chilterns one spring and summer and the bird-life and people he met there. Brian Clews, who now lives in the same village, has matched this work with his own contemporary account. Thus each chapter is presented in two parts, the fist by Hudson, the second by Clews. The distinction between the two parts is highlighted by the Hudson pages being grey with feint artificial 'foxing' (though in a modern typeface), while Clews pages are conventionally printed on white. Hudson's work was not illustrated, but this book contains reproduction of contemporary photographs printed in sepia and modern ones in colour. Neither author identifies the village concerned, though it is clear from the outset that it is in the Chilterns and by the early part of the second chapter, Clews has given sufficient information to pin-point it precisely. There is no index which I think is a mistake.
The first chapter deals with St James's Park (Hudson) and the modern bird scene (Clews). The succeeding ten chapters deal mainly, but by no means exclusively, with the village and various aspects of its bird-life, interspersed with social commentary.
Clews has sought to follow Hudson's rather discursive style and also emulates his somewhat anthropomorphic description of bird behaviour, which may be appropriate to his intended lay audience, though a bit more attention to the scientific facts underlying some of the assertions (for instance on factors controlling bird populations) might have been wise. Clews concludes the book with the hope that 'it might inspire the reader to go out, look and listen, to wonder at and explore, the life of village birds'. The subject matter chosen is certainly ideal for that task (but whether the style of writing of either author is up to inspiring the uninitiated to get out and look in the twenty-first century is perhaps less certain).
The book nevertheless provides a fascinating commentary on changes not only in bird-life, but also in social attitudes over the past century.
The writings of W.H. Hudson in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were undoubtedly significant in changing public attitudes towards wildlife. Some ornithologists, then seeking more scientific approaches, were uncomfortable about his anthropomorphic descriptions of bird behaviour and somewhat florid style. They also disliked his naming enthusiasts 'bird lovers'. Yet Hudson attracted a wide popular readership, and his positive influence cannot be challenged.
His close involvement with the creation of the fledgling RSPB was a critical reason for its early success. Brian Clews has lived for many years in the same Thamesside village (Cookham) where Hudson had summered some hundred years ago. Those sojourns led to the publication , in 1893, of the original Birds in a Village, Hudson's first book about English birds (see: Shrubsall, D. 2006. The unpublished letters of W.H. Hudson, the first literary environmentalist 1841-1922).
In this book, Clews has the bright idea of interspersing Hudson's chapters with his own studies of this area. This works well, for the two have similar outlooks in many ways. Hudson raged about the lack of concern for birds. His main targets were taxidermy, shooting and killing, collecting eggs, destroying nests, and keeping captive birds in cages. Few of these problems continue today, but there are new targets for Clews to attack. Housing and industrial developments have occurred at a great pace, eating up the countryside. An open space the villagers in Cookham once much enjoyed has been bisected by a motorway. Changing agricultural needs cause constant problems for wildlife. Wide areas of previously valuable habitats have been taken up for pastimes such as golf. The list continues. The message of conservation has grown louder, but still has a limited voice when confronted by human demands. As Clews notes, 'wild creatures continue to be regarded as of less importance than commercial gain and "entertainment" '.
Unfortunately, several species mentioned in detail by Hudson can no longer be found in the village; these include the Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos, Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia, Tree Sparrow Passer montanus, Wryneck Jynx torquilla, Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur and Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix.
Both authors have shown keen interest in bird behaviour, having time to 'stand and stare' to understand more. Their findings suggest that the lifestyle of local birds has changed but a little over the century. For example, the birds still sing the same songs, make the same nests, and their varied responses to raptors are much as before. They do have the ability to search for food, which has attracted them to gardens, but how long will it take them all to understand the dangers of cars? This book incidentally produces a reminder of differing social times: while Hudson wrote of 'rustics', 'old dames' and 'cockneys', Clews describes with great disdain the importers of wild creatures as pets. Revisiting the village after another century, as suggested by Clews, could be a fascinating project.
Birds in a Village: A century On
This is really two books in one. W H Hudson will perhaps be known only to the 'more mature' members of the bird club as he was born in 1841. Written in 1983 about the bird life in an un-named rural village, resident birdwatcher Brian Clews, who now lives in that village, has decided to update Hudson's observations by replying to them chapter by chapter.
I must say I was intrigued to discover how this format would work as Hudson is a very eloquent writer and his style would contrast greatly with the rather stark, factual approach of many modern authors. I need not have worried as Brian has adapted his style so that is sits nicely with that of Hudson. One is aware that it is modern without it jarring.
As one might expect, Hudson's engaging writings of earlier times portray an idyllic scene, with tales of Nightingales around the cottage door, Wrynecks, red-backed Shrikes, Cirl Buntings, Nightjars and 'extremely abundant' Turtle Doves, whereas, as one might expect, Brian Clews reminds us of the reality of modern times with Ring-necked Parakeets, Magpies and the like as well as humans in the form of 'the intrepid jogger'!
For those of a more nostalgic disposition this book will bring back happy memories of earlier times whilst, for more youthful readers, it will introduce them to a very different but not-so distant past. the question arises as to why it is so different now and Brian provides some of the reasons. By the time you have read this book you will, without realising it, have been educated as you will have absorbed, in a very palatable form, what the many recent national surveys have more starkly informed us. For me it is a book to be read either whilst relaxing on warm summer's days perhaps accompanied by a glass or two of wine or snuggled up by the fire on winter's evenings whilst clutching a mug of hot cocoa!
In 1893, city-dweller and well-known historian of his era, W H Hudson, spent a spring and summer in a rural setting to write his famed Birds in a Village, one of no less than 32 titles he penned. After 100 years of many changes in the countryside, Brian Clews has reproduced the book, incorporating Hudson's original text and responding to each chapter in turn with a more up-to-date impression of birdlife, not just in the village concerned, but as may be experienced in many locations, following Hudson's anecdotal style. Even where aspects of the specific village are noted, readers will identify with the topic or the sentiment.
Brian Clews' Birds in a Village - A Century On illustrates beautifully how changes in farming practice and domestic activities can drastically alter the balance of nature, bringing about the demise of such birds as the Wryneck, as well as the decline of the Nightingale, many farmland birds, and several species of raptor. He also records that some birds have increased in numbers dramatically, such as Collared Dove, whilst introduction schemes have helped redress some of the damage done. A most enjoyable read, I would give nine out of ten! A similar book in another hundred years would, I am sure, make equally interesting reading.
