The Blue Tit
This is a Blue Tit egg. Blue tits must be one of the most popular birds in Britain. They can be found in most gardens, flock around bird tables and regularly nest in bird-boxes. Their mix of blue, yellow, white and green feathers and their perky behaviour endear them to us.
Yet there is a nervousness to them. They are wary of unseen threats. As they feed they are constantly looking behind their backs and will take to the air at any sudden movement. At times there is a desperation to their feeding and they can be aggressive towards others who try to join them on the bird-feeder. There’s a reason why two old country names for the blue tit were ‘Billy Biter’ and ‘Tom Bite-thumb’!
If hawks are beautiful killers, then the blue tit is a beautiful victim. They have to be constantly on the alert, because if they don’t then they won’t last long. It’s ease to sentimentalise pretty animals and one reason for the popularity of neo-paganism may be a desire to find a source of harmony where it doesn’t exist. In many ways Charles Darwin’s steely-eyed vision of nature complements the traditional Christian conception – fascinating, beautiful, but no paradise.
Reading:
‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’
(2 Corinthians 5.17)
Prayer:
‘Father, we thank you that in the resurrection a new creation has begun. May the transformation of lives by love begin now. Amen.’
