16. The robin's perch

The Garden seemed to be full of robins today, the air bright with song as the birds establish their territories. I spotted this one

The robin let me come closer...

in the old hawthorn by the lochán. It  let me come closer and closer until I was just a few feet away.

I wanted a natural object that reminded me of the robin, so I gently broke off the twig it had been sitting on - a complex, gnarled piece of hawthorn,  decorated with lichen like tiny, grey-green coral.

...and closer

To a human ear the song of the male robin is musical and lovely. To the female robin it is an invitation, an advertisement of the qualities of a potential mate. But to another male the song is an aggressive message:  'This is my place, keep off!'. The 'why' and 'how' of birdsong is fascinating.

Today, however, I am just absorbed in the moment, listening to the robin's song, soaking it up as balm to the soul.