Glimpses

These people are always in my garden... apart from when I am there.

The starlings have decided that though I am dangerous, they can just about manage to feed when I am on the other side of the bamboo.

The pigeons stay on the aerial or the surrounding rooftops. Though occasionally they come down.

The goldfinch is usually in the trees, but I am happy with this.

And the squirrels prefer to be in another garden.

Though on this occasion, a squirrel seemed somewhat relaxed.

All that said, apart from the starlings, or the blackbirds when surprised, and maybe the wren, the animals and birds don't tend to give alarm calls when I am there. That's something. So, if I hear alarm calls, I know the cat is around, or maybe a corvid too close to a nest.

I have written before about "trying to make my energy less confrontational". Most of the time, I rely on my garden prayer to ground me and steady my breathing so that I am physiologically unthreatening, and that seeks to have an impact in the garden. However, if I am in the woods, where the birds are less used to human people, they do alarm when I go by. Today, as I sat under a tree, I noticed that a pair of blue tits were scolding me and I felt bad because their tight energy budgets don't need that kind of expenditure. So, I focused hard on making my energy small and unassuming. The birds quietened down. Now, it could have been the amount of time... but just maybe something really changed.