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Filed under Science & Nature

Cherie’s Place – Thought for the Week

Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.

Douglas Coupland

Singing on the Rooftop

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6 Comments CherryPie on Jun 10th 2018

6 Responses to “Cherie’s Place – Thought for the Week”

  1. peppylady (Dora) says:
    June 11, 2018 at 1:44 am

    A bird feather looks weak and actual it strong as carbon fiber.

    Coffee is on

  2. Amfortas says:
    June 11, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    A simpler state of being, eh? If you could sit awhile and watch the birds that come to my lawn to feed on the bread I throw, ’simple’ is not the first word that comes to mind. The amount of fractious behaviour is a wonder to see unfold. A complex pecking order is negotiated anew. And that is just amongst the sparrows. When the big crow fella from the big trees some 100 metres away swoops down a ’simple’ thing would be to take a square and eat. But no. A complcated landing on a nearby rail first. Then several hops around on the rail, including turns completely around. A lot of squinting and sideways glances at me as I greet him. Then after at least a minute he drops onto a piece and as if he had pogo-sicks for legs he hauls his great black, shiney ‘being’ up into the air, turns and takes it to a roof point where he stands his great talons on it so he can tear off bits.
    :)

    • CherryPie says:
      June 11, 2018 at 10:39 pm

      Most years blackbirds nest within the trees or bushes within my garden. This year several other types of bird have been present in and over our small garden. Some of them even casing out the garden for a suitable nesting place. This included Ducks who changed their mind and moved on, a buzzard which flies low and majestically over the garden (settling in two different oak trees) and Magpies who decided to nest in a tree near to the blackbird nest.

      The magpies are in charge (at least when humans are not around). The magpies always fly off when they see me or Mr C, whereas the little birds are content and sing to their heart’s content. They even hop up close placing their beady eye on me whilst they search for food.

      One morning recently I was out of the house for an hour and when I got home the bird activity in the garden had changed. The male blackbird was present but no longer singing and his main activity was chasing off another male blackbird.

      I knew that the magpies had raided the nest for the blackbird chicks to feed their own young. Magpies are part of the corvidae species of birds, all of which are intelligent. I guess the pair of them were biding their time and noticed I was absent before raiding the nest.

      The good news is that the following day the lady blackbird spent the day gathering twigs and grass for a new nest, not far away from the previous one. The male blackbird was looking over the proceedings, ensuring that she was safe. They are still occupying the new nest but there are no signs of any baby birds yet.

  3. London Caller says:
    June 13, 2018 at 10:03 pm

    Birds in the UK are rather dull. ;)
    You should visit Malaysia one day to see our tropical birds.
    Very exotic and colourful :)