Strange times

 I’m sick of giving my opinion on the state of this country. You are probably sick of hearing it, so today I will write about my other passion.

I say that as though I only have two passions, which, as we all know, is ridiculous. I am Mrs Add a New Passion a Fortnight. Butterfly mind. Flitting from thing to thing but never quite managing to let go of the old thing. Julia of all trades. 

When my mum died I focused on birds for a while. I’d never liked birds before. I thought they were horrible flappy creatures that cats brought in to terrorise or devils that would fall down the chimney, making me scream. However, when my brain was broken, they seemed safer to watch than anything else. I started to feed them properly again, thinking that it didn’t matter if I accidentally fed the rats because, in truth, I think rats are amazing, intelligent creatures and have been passionate about them since I read Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh when I was a child. 

When lockdown happened and it turned out I couldn’t stay in because I’m still a bit claustrophobic I took myself off to very quiet places and listened to birdsong. I heard cuckoos and nightingales and learnt to tell the difference between the tits. However, it wasn’t easy and I wanted Shazam for birdsong.

The other day I stumbled across the perfect app. Warblr. Why to apps have to leave out letters? Are they like posh people in reverse, who put letters in they don’t pronounce? Anyway, Warblr is my new passion. If I can’t tell what bird is singing, I just point my phone, press the button and hey presto. It’s like magic!

This morning, towards the end of the dawn chorus, the twittery birds had finished and the crows and jackdaw’s  cawwwwwwwing had slowed. The magpies were still clacking and the pigeons cooing, which they seem to do all day. Then there came a song I’d not heard before. I was loud and insistent, a burbling, like water through a pipe. I don’t normally want to Shazam the Dawn chorus because it really is too early but this morning I couldn’t help myself.

Warblr identified the rooks, crows, magpies, pigeons and doves but right at the top of the list was a curlew.

These are strange times. There’s a curlew hiding in the trees in my garden. I know they are water birds but my little pond isn’t big enough for a curlew.

The RSPB site says that curlews are in crisis and that you should eat chocolate to save them. I can do that. In fact, I think in these strange times we should all be eating lots of chocolate to help the curlews. There I go, giving my opinions again. Chocolate for curlews.