Now You See Me…
Bittern, photo by Unsplash
Out of the corner of your eye, you spot movement in the treetop, you raise your binoculars and… it's gone! At times, bird-watching can be a series of near misses; but then there are golden moments when you manage to focus in on that barn owl or yellow wagtail and it takes your breath away.
David and I have a few family sayings for common bird-watching experiences: when we mistake a leaf or stick for a bird (believe me, it happens), it's a ‘lesser-spotted’ leaf or stick. When we can't see one clearly enough to identify it, that's a ‘blird’. And when nature offers up her treasure, that's a ‘bloody good spot!’ Excuse my French; it’s a quote. In the late 80s we were on a visit to RSPB Minsmere. We were in a hide with lots of far more experienced bird-watchers. David spotted a slight movement in the reeds and realised it was a bittern; superbly camouflaged, I would never have spotted it. A whisper rippled around the bird hide and everyone enjoyed watching it stalk in slow motion along the reed edge. Someone murmured, ‘Bloody good spot!’ and the phrase has stuck.
Just the other day, David made another ‘bloody good spot.’ A baby snake sunbathing on the path. It was a bright day and we were both wearing sunglasses. I leaned in for a closer look and could have sworn that the blue-black coil draped on the gravel was a piece of discarded bungee. David insisted it was a young snake. I insisted it wasn’t and looked for a stick to poke it with. Before I could find one, the ‘bungee’ upped and slithered away! My bad. If I had taken David’s word for it, this post would be accompanied by a great photo!
Anyone who read last month’s ‘Thought for the Day’ blog, ‘Movie Magic’, may recall my confession that I struggle even desire to cultivate the quality of ‘willingness to yield.’ Here was a example of my ‘unwillingness to yield’. Thank goodness for the unlimited grace of the Christian faith. With God, and therefore with each other too, there’s always a fresh start.
And as for the blue-black young snake. We wondered what it could be. When it slithered away, we saw the yellow neck marking distinctive to grass snakes. Our book at home told us that grass snakes show great variation in colouring. And our sunglasses presumably distorted the colour too. But has anyone else seen a strange-coloured snake? Please share.
