Dear reader,
The Eurasian bullfinch is a chunky distinctive songbird native to Europe and Asia, historically viewed as a agricultural pest due to its fondness for fruit buds. Known for its shy nature and ability to mimic tunes it was famously kept as a caged bird in the 19th century and underwent a population decline int the late 20th century holding a "amber" conservation status.
In the 16th century HenryV111 viewed them as disruptive of fruit crops. Parliament authorized a one-penny reward for every bird killed as their appetite for buds was considered a 'criminal attack' on orchards.
The species experience a significant 40% decline in the UK from the mid-1970s through to the
90s largely attributed to agricultural intensification and loss of hedgerows, though the might have shown signs of recovery since 2000.
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From Dorothy Wordsworth March 20th 1798 in Somerset
' A very cold evening, but clear. The spring seemingly very little advanced. No green trees, only the hedges are budding, and looking very lovely.'
From Richard Hayes March 21st 1762 in Kent
'This day I saw a yellow butterfly....My rooks, by the cold weather and snow, did not begin building till last Sunday (14th).'From John Ruskin March 28th 1886 Coniston, in Lancashire
From John Ruskin March 28th 1886 in Lancashire
'Softest quiet poised clouds, calm lake in sunshine, the sound of streams from hills and the sense of peaceful power in all things.'
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Realization
I am
part of the whole.
I am
in the first light,
the bird’s first song,
the sun’s first dart
through the curtain crack,
in the music of summer trees.
I am
part of the alpha,
the birth,
the awakening,
the growing and spreading,
the throbbing of life.
I am part of all suffering
hands blood-stained.
Part of love
humanity shares and
of all good things.
I am
part of the omega,
the closing, the last light,
the call back from the dark
to the bright, eternal night.
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With very best wishes, Patricia
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