A Bird call in the dark!

It was a moon lit night and I heard the silence interrupted around 8 pm, a little distance away from where I was staying,  while on a holiday. It was a bird call repeated in the same tune and loudness a few times, slightly different from the usual bird calls. The pictures above taken with my zoom lens did not reveal the colour of the bird. From its body contour and formation of the bills, it was likely to be a Sunbird. 

I checked with a bird lover who told me that the bird calls at such a time might indicate a distress call. From what he described to me, it might have had an injury, lost its flight path and is away from its usual night halt station. 

It flew away after a while. So it was well enough to fly. 

The avian mood and experience is communicated through the bird calls! I wish I had recorded to get an opinion on the state of anxiety of the bird!

It happened on a day, when I faced a difficult situation and was unable to open up to share. Being open for a self disclosure is a skill, which promotes personal development. 

Whether or not we disclose our inner happenings, most observant people would pick up the changes we convey in our body language, tone of voice or relative social withdrawal as signs of being preoccupied 'within'. 

It is when we are preoccupied we need a listening person to support us to move forward from where we are emotionally!

The bird broke its silence even at night to express itself! 

Each of us can break our silence, when what we carry within becomes heavy to bear!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

The Bird call at daybreak!

I have got used to the silence and stillness in the fading darkness of the early morning! What is often heard during that stillness is the bird call of Magpie Robins in our garden. They cannot be seen in the darkness, but heard distinctly with high pitch musical tones that would alert me to be still and listen! Now that I am familiar with this and heard the bird call after a break of several weeks, I moved in the direction of the bird call and waited for the dawn  to be able to spot the Magpie Robin. 

The coconut tree in the phots above, which got damaged when the lightning struck, is the tallest tree in the garden! The Magpie Robin was perched at the summit of that tree, and making its melodious bird call with short pauses in between, during which time it looked around! 

After a while it flew away and could not be seen amidst the foliage of trees. It did appear again perching on a cable closer to the boundary wall. That is when I got a closer view of this bird. 

The cock crows early in the morning. The Magpie Robin sings tunefully even before day break. The birds move between flight stations in the morning golden hour. These activities occur regularly.

What is special is that each of these experiences have a larger significance.  These birds are not often noticed as they appear to be like the fig tree in vineyard about which Jesus of Nazareth spoke in a parable, which is recorded in the Gospel of Luke chapter 13 verses 6 to 9. A fig tree in a vineyard did not have fruit! How can it bear fruit if it received only the same of care as given to the vineyard ! The fig tree needs another soil environment and climate to bear fruit. That is what the gardener offered to do for one year, when the owner decided to cut the fig tree for not bearing fruit. 

Some of us can feel lonely and not being fruitful as the environment is not conducive for us to be effective and fruitful. It is towards such people this parable was addressed to by Jesus of Nazareth. They too would receive attention and care in a special way from the 'gardener' of their lives and change their environment to bring more fruitfulness!

The Magpie Robin was awake before most birds and people in the neighbourhood. It sings as its habit!

To be present where we are positioned, however lonely or alone one might feel, is also a calling! People feeling alone and not being viewed as fruitful would also receive attention and acknowledgement in due season, as God of our lives are aware of us and would draw near to us sooner than later!

Till then singing before day break is what is still possible!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Hidden in silence!

 

It was the bird call yesterday that alerted me about the presence of a Bulbul, hidden in the foliage a tree in our garden! As the Bulbul was in the foliage which was covered from three sides, I reached the terrace of our cottage to get a closer view of the Bulbul. Its bird call was infrequent and just audible. 

Most birds are silently present in different locations. The bird calls alert us of their locations and movements. 

Normally silence is the language they practice except when they want to communicate. 

For the humans, conversation is the normal language. Silence is therefore by choice. As I watched this Bulbul for about twenty minutes before it flew away, I felt moved by its   stillness and silence. It moved its neck to have a 360 degree view of the surrounding. Except for that, it was still and silent.  

Its stillness and silence comes from practice. A bulbul is behaviourally friendly and seeks to reside beside human habitations. In fact, we had a Bulbul flying into veranda yesterday and explore the area, although we were seated at the adjoining area. It was not disturbed by our presence. 

The practice of stillness and silence brings many advantages. One that struck me yesterday is the freedom from fear or anxiety, while watching the behaviour of the Bulbul in our veranda. 

As I grow older there is a natural fretfulness and anxiety that set in. There are fears on account of bodily limitations. With tinnitus in one ear and lingering backache and consciousness of limitations that this can bring in, it is natural to be anxious. During a longer time of stillness and practice of silence yesterday, I felt that there was an unburdening and sense of relaxation.

I have often sensed in the recent months that silence inwardly is akin to prayer, where one can feel anchored in 'whom we live, move and have our being'.  The prayer experience brings coherence, togetherness and rest. It is when we have a sense of belonging, we feel liberated from the anxiety which is often a consequence of what we go through. 

I felt good that a Bulbul awakened these thoughts within me !

A Bulbul was messenger for me yesterday!

Later in the mid morning, I noticed another Bulbul in still composure in another tree, this time visible, but silent! This location is often a site where I notice birds perched when alone!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)