I froze, I didn't want to shatter the moment. It's nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary. It was just that I was within a metre of the tiniest, perkiest, perfect little wren that I hardly dared breathe.
It's white eye-liner reminded me, bizarely, of Adam Ant and ever since I've had that damn Stand and Deliver song rattling round my head. This encounter happened right next to my backdoor. I've suspected that some bird or another was living in the ivy crowning the wall that separates my garden from my neighbours.
I don't know why I'm so excited by this wren. More so than the appearance overhead of swifts, the woodpecker dropping chunks of bark on me from high-up on my London Plane tree or the sparrowhawk that sat on the fence post. It's so ordinary but moving. Maybe it's the wren's tiny size. I think it's because I knew deep down that I should have a wren and they were conspicuous by their absence.
I can now proudly say, 100%, that I DO have a wren. It joins the sparrows, blackbirds, tits, pigeons, jays, doves and finches that regularly visit. I've made quite a few changes to the garden since we moved in; the addition of a hedge, fruit trees and some landscaping. Next comes the removal of the patio to be replaced by a lawn. Maybe, just maybe, I will then fulfill my ambition of attracting starlings to my garden. I love them.
It's been a week since we discoverd that the Tate peregrines, Misty and Bert, had chicks in their nest. We still don't know how many, but hopefully they'll soon be big enough to venture out on to the ledge of their high-rise penthouse apartment in the City. As soon as they do, I'll post details here on this blog. Sadly, Misty is a very protective Mother, so there's absolutely no way we can get close enough to install a webcam or even get good photos of the chicks. I wouldn't want to annoy the world's fastest winged creature, not with those talons.
A lot has been written in the media over the past week about Birds of Prey following publication of the report On a wing and a prayer. A lot of nonsense has been quoted from the hardline core of the blast 'em and kill 'em brigade. The fact is that a range of magnificent creatures that people almost wiped out are beginning to recover. Yes they do kill other creatures, including some that are in decline. That's a sad reality but there are things we can do to ameliorate this, such as habitat management to support less threatened species; and so providing an alternative food supply. But, we all have a moral duty not to stand by and do nothing as species, or indeed people or habitats, needlessly perish. Anyone who puts commercial interests first, must wrestle with their own consciences, mine is clear. Now, Stand and Deliver!
That song will haunt you for days.