Blackbirds

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There are many blackbird in the neighborhood this Spring. The patio gardens with lots of ivy seem to attract them ~ they must feel these are the ideal nesting places. For months now I have heard them sing, marking their territories.
This cat-loving neighborhood is by no means a safe place for them to raise their families. Yet that doesn’t stop them from trying to bring a new generation of blackbirds into this world.

A couple of weeks ago their songs had subtle changes ~ not only marking and protecting their space, their songs seemed to reflect the fact that their space had gained in permanence: the nests were being built.
These changes in their songs culminated in the exuberance that marked the laying of the eggs ~ and ever since, every time a cat walks by the melodious songs are interrupted by shrieking warning calls.

The cats are not interested. They don’t eat those fragile, yet hard to crack blackbird eggs...

Now the waiting is for that next change in the songs of the blackbirds; the moment when they announce to the world that their offspring has been born.
It is easy to hear the pride and joy in that song! (It reminds me of a guy I once worked with who had business cards printed with his name and function: ‘father’ ~ when his firstborn arrived.)

Still, being human and thinking about this logically, I keep wondering why those blackbirds keep telling the world ~ and the cats ~ that now the nest is filled with chicks instead of eggs. Tasty bites that even the best-fed cat is interested in... Why do they put themselves in so much danger?

The animal kingdom doesn’t think logically.
Apparently it is more important to let the world know exactly where you stand ~ to share your good fortunes, your pride and joy ~ than it is to scheme to be safe from danger that isn’t here. Yet...
It is simply not a good reason to change your ways. (Now the sound of the morning traffic, that is a different matter (!) as it makes it harder for the songs to be heard and therefore is reason to start singing your songs at an earlier time, before traffic noise competes with them...)

We can learn a lot from those blackbirds... They know there are cats around, yet as long as these cats are not coming too close to the nest, there is no reason to stop singing your song. And even when a cat does come close and the blackbirds shriek their warnings ~ no sooner has the cat gone by or the birds resume their song...

We ~ like them ~ shouldn’t suppress our joy out of fears of things that might happen in the future. When there is time and reason to be happy, show the world that you are!
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