bird on the wire

For the past two weeks or so, I’ve been aware of birdsong from the moment I awake (usually just after 5am). This isn’t mass, dawn chorus birdsong, this is the song of just one bird – a blackbird. He (I'm pretty sure it's male) starts somewhat slowly but, within a quarter-of-an-hour, is in full song. He usually just sits on a telegraph wire and sings to his heart’s content (well, that’s how it comes across to me!) - for some THREE solid hours. In fact, I suspect he sings for longer than this, but I’m just doing other things and am not around to witness it. I occasionally catch his song again in the evening (last night, for instance, he sang for at least an hour before dark). According to the RSPB website: “Blackbirds tend to be solitary birds… Male blackbirds establish a territory during their first year, which they will hold throughout their lives”.
It really is rather beautiful.
It’s made me realise that there are so many things that go on around us which we fail to notice. Over the years, I think I’ve become much better at “learning to look” and noticing my surroundings, but the blackbird has reminded me that we also need to listen!
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
(lyrics Paul McCartney, 1968)
Photo: pretty poor pic of “our” wonderful songbird in action.