We All Need More Nature
Birds Are My Brothers And Sisters
We had just had a BBQ Dinner with my partners kids, Dusty and Noah. It was a simple steak, corn, mashed taters, salsa, guacamole and chips meal on a late summer evening. I stepped out into the yard to move the food around and stretch my legs. The sparkling sun was dropping in the sky, and it lit up the white gum tree a yard or two over from ours.
There is a lorikeet that visits me when I go to the garden at this time of day. He is usually sitting on a lone branch and we trade whistles and acknowledge each other. I find it a very comforting visit when he makes an appearance.
Lorikeet was not on his perch this evening, but a red wattle bird flew up to a lone branch. With a stunning blue sky behind her, she looked towards the setting sun, waiting for the time to return to its nest or for its lifetime partner to appear. I scanned the tree looking for her partner.
As I scanned the tree, she flew off eastwards, leaving the sunshine behind. Seconds after she made a move, her partner landed on the same branch to survey the neighborhood. I thought that this must be their stopping-off place to catch the rays of the sun before they headed off to their crib to canoodle.
Over the last few weeks with our foliage and trees full with green and late summer life, I had caught a glimpse of the wattle birds feeding. I assumed these were the same pair I had noticed.
Still standing in the yard, I made some bird noises and whistled and said hello in my two legged language. He turned toward me and made his distinctive noisy squwak as he savoured the sunset.
Whistling and looking at Mr.Red Wattle Bird, he turned his head, and swooped down into the yard. He must have seen something in the trees that warranted a visit near me and he poked around as I watched him from 10 feet away.
We made eye contact again. He was grabbing some food off the tree and shook its head around. As I watched, he paid no attention to me for a few moments as it had found what it was looking for.
I spoke to the bird with my own voice and language and said, “Come on over here now.”
He had flown to the top of the arch where the weather vane is and he gave me a look. As I watched him, he leapt off the arch and flew directly towards me. I figured he would arch up into the sky quickly. Instead of a hasty retreat, the lovely fella seemed to slow and make a pass towards me. He came within a foot of my face so I could see every bit of this magical creature. It banked to the left and followed the path his partner had taken home.
These are the moments that make me aware that we are not seperate from nature. These beings do communicate with us daily and all we need to do is attune ourselves to their frequency to get a message. My heart was filled with joy. This was a sweet inspiring visit from a feathered beauty. The intention of the bird was clearly to come down and check me out before he split.
There are magpies and doves that are constant visitors to the front and back garden. The doves sometimes even make their way into the house where I have to usher them out or at times get them down from the skylight where they fly for safety.
Birds. They have been a constant companion and interesst since I was a little boy. We had a couple of parakeets when I was still in primary school. I’ve attended bird workshops in the forest for a weekend, I get as excited as a child when I see a Black Cockatoo in flight.
Recently, I sat in ceremony with my drum and conspired with others who were doing the same elsewhere around the world. We prayed together and built a web of energy. I had a vision of a red bird; it flew by in my line of sight, but there are no birds here as red as the one I saw. The shape was familiar, but I did not think about that at the time. I was taken by the colour.
Now I know by the way it was flying and the shape that it was a Red Wattlebird. These birds are grey and brown in plumage but they stand out because of the pink/red wattles on either side of the neck.
In many cultures, birds are seen as messengers from the spiritual world. I am unsure how to read this visitation. While this most recent connection was occuring, there was this strong connection to nature and the moment. Once the moment passed, I was exhilarated and shared the story with the family.
A Wattlebird is said to be indicative of a shaman in disguise. Someone who is drawn to the unusual. Hey, little shaman bird!
A Wattlebird is a both a ventriloquist and mimic, so its message is "speaking will either set you free or imprison you, stand your ground and speak the truth" .....
Looking through my photos it was easy to come up with these pictures I had snapped of my avian friends as my eyes are always looking skyward. I treasure the moments where I can commune with my feathered friends.
I wonder if you have the same connection to birds or other animals that connects you to the planet and all living things.
I hope so.
Post Script: We had another little wonderful connection with nature last week. Dusty was returning home at midnight and found a baby possum on the ground. She could hear the Mother making a racket but this little guy, she named Fergus, was not going to survive long on the sidewalk.
She rescued it with our help and the next day we brought it to the vet for care. When we arrived at the vet there was another resident with a baby possum they rescued.
Here they are together, I guess it was meant to be.
