Tiny wren traps me in a corner
IT’S a bit of a squeeze to get out of our back garden gate – there is a bush that badly needs cutting back.
Alfie, the dog, and I were pushing past the shed, while trying to hold the gate open against those springy branches.
Then I spotted something out of the corner of my eye – something ever-so-small hopped into the bush to watch my woes.
I burst out of the other side, the three bins – blue, brown and green – protecting me against a collision with a stone wall.
I quickly regained my composure to ensure I could peek over my own garden wall to try to spot what I had seen.
In the middle of the leafless bush, trying to look invisible, was one of my all-time favourite birds, the wren.
Looking up at me, it’s tail was cocked up and it had a look that said: ‘Don’t you be messing with my safe places’.
It isn’t the first time I have seen a wren, they are normally searching the nooks and crannies of our stone walls – there are plenty of them.
They are such regular visitors that there must be nests nearby and our garden seems a good place to look for a meal of tasty insects.
It is a pure pleasure to see the wren, our most common and widespread bird, it’s a tiny, brown thing with a short cocked tail and a swoosh-type mask heading from above its eye to behind its head.
The most remarkable thing about the wren is its ridiculously loud voice.
I remember sitting in the garden last summer putting my fingers in my ears because of the racket, from one small bird.
The sheer joy of that song made me appreciate that day even more.
I was simply following in the footsteps of my Celtic ancestors who honoured the wren’s activity and vibrancy with the lesson that everyone must make progress each day.
The Celts were reminded by the wren to keep a happy heart and be kind to others – which is a lovely sentiment.
Another thing about the tiny wren is the fact that it is now surviving through the cold weather, fluffing up into a ball and just waiting for some warmth.
Obviously, we don’t have a lot of insects around at the moment, so it’s nice to get some insects and insect-based fatty stuff on your bird table so they have an extra source of nutrition.
And always make sure that they have somewhere to shelter by leaving some of those bushes and foliage looking a bit scruffy in your garden.
I suppose I will have to keep squeezing past through the gate as long as my noisy neighbour is around?
The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is dedicated to the protection and promotion of the wildlife in Lancashire, seven boroughs of Greater Manchester and four of Merseyside, all lying north of the River Mersey. It manages around 40 nature reserves and 20 Local Nature Reserves covering acres of woodland, wetland, upland and meadow. The Trust has 29,000 members and more than 1,200 volunteers.
To become a member of the Trust go to the website at www. lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129. For more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call 01948 820728 or go to cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk.