The closest I’ve been

I got a surprise this morning when I got in the car to go and collect my provisions from the local organic farm.

She’d been sitting there while I’d been doing my usual inspection of the front garden as I leave the house. I just hadn’t notice her presence on my neighbour’s lawn. I wonder what she was doing there and why she seemed so calm.

The demeanour of the blackbird today is in contrast to the one I shared a few moments with earlier in the week. I’d gone out to pick some strawberries, only to disturb a blackbird as she was helping herself to some of the same. However, instead of flying off, she rushed to hide behind the red currant bush.

We both stood for a moment, watching each other. She peeping round the side of the bush, me looking down at her, albeit at a distance. Then I started picking strawberries and she must have decided if I was only doing the same as her, I probably wasn’t much of a threat. So, she scuttled across to the strawberries behind another currant bush and continued her meal.

I’ve observed that when blackbirds have a family to feed they are normally very shy of humans (probably other creatures, too). I was therefore surprised that this little lady persisted. I was also taken with time shared in this way, though I doubt she felt the same.