Blue tits
Acer to olive tree
Olive tree to bird feeder
Bird feeder to acer
Acer to rose bush
all in bursts of energy
distinctive flutter of wings
an endless chase
an avian version of
‘Catch me if you can’
and
as I sit here
still
and watch
I am
a
lucky man
A Banditry
As I sat down to write this, my eye was caught by the activities a banditry of blue tits in my garden. I have to confess I didn’t know that a banditry was the accepted term for a group of blue tits until I looked it up but there is something about their movement and the flashes of colour that bring to mind the romantic notion of the colourful bandit – an entirely fictional one with a good heart who does no harm.
I’m not sure how many of these bandits there were – they move too fast for accurate counting – but I was captivated by the way they flit from bush to bush, always on the go. I’m sure it’s a little anthropomorphic to suggest this but they appear full of life, full of beans, of joie de vivre even.
Watching them was a tonic, giving me a sense of peace in a fraught world. This fragile and tiny bird returns every year, apparently unaffected by all the stresses of our world. There’s a passage in the bible which springs to mind. It’s the reference to lilies of the field which gets quoted most often but it also talks of the ‘birds of the air’ – essentially pointing out that there’s no point in worrying!
I’m aware that there is another side to all this in that the blue tits may keep appearing in our gardens, looking happy and unstressed but we’re losing species at a rate of knots and there’s no guarantee that they will survive long term. This is clearly something we need to address, not specifically or only for the blue tits but for the whole ecological system. And enjoying the birds, appreciating them, is a step towards trying to protect them and the biodiversity on which they, and we, depend.
For now, today, as I sit in my garden, I’ll take the sense of wonder, peace, and joy they bring me. Stopping me from doing that would be like stealing bread from a hungry man. I know what I need!
