Yesterday was a dark, cold, wintery day. I bundled up and spent the afternoon working in my yard. As I was working I noticed a little bird following me. It was roundy with little black claws that seemed too small for its body.
As I went from one place to another, it would follow me. It would jump from fencepost to branch as I moved about. The bird was not fearful, but it was sometimes cautious. It would sometimes jump back to another branch or fencepost, but it wouldn't panic. Several times it was within arms length of me, and I was grateful for the trust he gave me.
At one point the bird went down to the ground and I thought he might be injured, but he quickly returned to a fencepost and started munching on a blackberry that he picked up in its beak. He was just munching away while still observing me.
I sent pictures of the bird to a friend, who identified it as an Eastern Phoebe. Sure enough, a visit to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology confirmed the bird's identity.
I felt like I made a connection with this little creature, and I was thankful to have the company as I worked outside. Sadly, many people would not even notice such a minor contact with nature, or even care. But I care because it reminds me that we live in a vast and complicated ecosystem. And just because humans are supposedly smart and have a consciousness that doesn't make us better than other animals. We are all one and we are all connected. Some religionists have a problem with that because of the "have dominion" clause in the Holy Bible. Well, to that I say "poop."
No comments:
Post a Comment
I apologize for requiring verification of comments. I had to do this because of all the spam.