Open letter to the birds of my garden
You are all menaces and I love you very much. Please never change. But if you could eat less of my veg that would be great.
The sparrows nibbling the bricks on the patio. The crows stealing pigeon eggs. The magpies fighting the squirrels. The jackdaws fighting everyone. The pigeons sedately grazing the lawn, shitting everywhere, and eating my broccoli. That one sparrowhawk trying to eat the pigeons eating my broccoli. The various tits flitting up and down the street. The bullying blackbirds. The woodpecker crouched on the path. The multiple generations of robin keeping me under close observation to eat the ants and worms I uncover.
I need to get you better feeders and I will, soon. I will keep the feeders clean and protect them from squirrels. I'm sorry our neighbour cut down those lovely trees. I could have wept. I planted six in response though they will take a while. I worry about how you're in decline so precipitously but impressed by how you don't know that.
The lack of existential angst on your part is refreshing. Still, I see tiny flocks of starlings in car parks and I think, You used to be revered. Rightly. You were mighty and strong, augurs and wondrous. I still see you. I know who you were. Who you are.
Still, none of you are short on drama. Garden birds are this constant soap opera and you do not disappoint. Your quarrels, if not outright feuds, bringing life to the place. And I just wanted to say thank you, for being here.
For the second person birds IndieWeb blog carnival.