Jackdaws who might not be omens

(Nimue)

There are several large jackdaw roosts around Stroud that have been in use as sites for many years. Recently, a significant crew of jackdaws started turning up in the evenings to roost somewhere near my home. There are a lot of trees round here, so there are plenty of suitable places for them. Initially the magpies were grumpy about it, but they seem to have got to grips with the change.

Most normally I hear them as they come in for the evening. There are sometimes small bursts of noise from them in the day. On the day of writing this post, at a point where I was really struggling, it sounded like the whole flock went over.

I’m not that into taking signs and omens from the wild world. However, I do experience immense comfort from the presence of wild beings. An hour or so later a massive flock of long tailed tits and blue tits all turned up together on my bird feeders – the most birds I’ve seen out there in one go. It felt affirming, on a day when I really needed some affirmations.

The wild world can be a real antidote to human struggling. Over the years I have often depended on wild things for comfort in fae of grief, loneliness and depression. That’s not much of an issue for me these days. I still feel a huge sense of gratitude for these blessings of contact, for the experience of wild beings near to me and for the feeling of belonging in the world this gives me.

Sometimes it is the indifference of nature that comforts me most. Sometimes it is the feeling of being part of a more than human community. Just occasionally, that wild contact makes me feel seen. Whether it was an omen or not may be apparent in time but in the cheery calls of my wild neighbours I find hope.