Paul McCartney once wrote a song
about a blackbird singing in the dead of night, apparently after a trip to
India. This may or may not be accurate. I’ve never been to India, but in
Britain blackbirds don’t sing in the dead of night. They do, however, at the
moment, sing at any time between dawn and dusk. Chances are that if you hear a
bird singing today it will be a blackbird, in the city, at least. Its languid yet
rich and melodious tones are an indelible symbol of early summer. They’ll
probably stop quite soon, so listen out. I’ve also heard a thrush singing
recently and my local dunnock which sounds like it's on speed, but not much else. Singing that is, not just the regular bird calls. You'll hear plenty of other birds, but less are actually singing now. Keep
your ears tuned in.
The blackbirds have been performing for quite a
while now but another sound that symbolizes summer, came just a couple of weeks
ago, as it suddenly turned warm. Walking down a quiet street in my
neighbourhood, my peace was suddenly interrupted by the screech of three swifts
speeding past above my head, piercing the blue summer sky like feathered red arrows.
I was delighted for the interruption. This is a special moment because they’ve
been away for around nine months so inevitably their welcome return tends to
take you by surprise. Out of sight, out of mind. Swifts should be appreciated as
they’re only with us for three or four months from May till early August before
heading back to Africa. They’ll be loving these blue skies and the warmth. Plenty
of insects to eat. Spectacular athletes of the air, they like cities. Well, not
all cities. Cities with older buildings in which they can nest. It’s nothing to
do with liking the company of humans. Swallows and martins, similarly speedy
summer visitors though more vocal and gregarious, tend to prefer the
countryside. Wherever you are, look out for one of these species; swifts are
larger, faster and darker with half-crescent wings and have that idiosyncratic
screech. Not as beautiful as a swallow or a house martin but when you can fly
like that who cares. As Billy Connolly once said, “F*ck handsome, rich wins”.
No-one
seems to be talking about the weather, distracted by all the circus of horrors
that is unfolding, but looking back on it, it may be seen as equally
extraordinary (for different reasons, of course) as the supposedly more
‘newsworthy’ happenings. It’s barely rained in three months. Blue skies have
ruled the roost. This, after the wettest February on record. This is not
normal. Ultimately the lack of rain will become a problem if it continues but
it has been astonishing. Pleasant as it is, however, nature needs and expects
water in this country. It’s not the Costa Del Sol. Birds, obviously but also
the soil and its inhabitants such as earthworms (sign of a healthy ecosystem) need
rain. As do snails, frogs and hedgehogs in our gardens etc. and the plants, of
course.
It has
been interesting to observe the changing colours as May has progressed. Early
in the month it was mostly blues, purples and pinks: delightful bluebells, purple
chive flowers and lavender; the delightful pink campion, a flower of wastelands
but also gardens if you let it. Then around mid-month an extraordinary red dahlia-like
flower briefly appeared. Yellow, in keeping with the recent hot sunshine, is
beginning to appear in the rose bush, and an exotic tree in the garden whose
yellow pineapple type flowers prove extremely popular with bees. If you have
blackberry (or bramble) bushes, keep an eye out for their pretty white flowers
which are currently blooming and are also attractive to bees. Funny that no-one
on the press wants to talk about bees or nature in general and its importance
to human life. Not remotely funny, actually, it’s despicable. Our culture encourages
(as we should) us to cherish and appreciate our mothers, but it’s most unfortunate how badly
we treat Mother Nature, both individually and collectively. ‘Mother’s Day’ is a
big money spinner, ‘Mother Nature Day’ isn’t. We’re all consumers and therefore
all polluters. Individually, we can a make difference in our habits, the products
we use and so on. Don’t wait for big business or governments to get involved. There’re
unlikely to as long as the priority is profit and shareholders. But let’s not
let that discourage us from taking action.
