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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
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February 2006 |
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P.S.Out on a limb One special thing about bushland living is the abundance of bird life. On most sunny days, in the early afternoon, there are regular visitors to the grevilleas and she-oaks in my garden: honeyeaters, spinebills and silvereyes. The bossy spinebills usually feed alone, sipping nectar from the curving grevillea flowers with a stern determination, quite unlike those most delightful entertainers, the soft-green silvereyes. These avian acrobats don’t alight safely on a thick branch. They swing and dangle with abandon from the very tips of the branches, where the tastiest morsels seem to be found. Like animated Christmas baubles, they bounce and swing, upside down and sideways, chattering happily on the bobbing tree tips. It’s risky – and not just because of the cats lurking below. Slender branch tips can break; a gust of wind can shake the tree; a sudden loud noise can startle. Despite the dangers the small creatures know where to find the best food – the gain is worth the risk. There’s none of the solitary focus of the spinebill about the silvereye – rather a sense of joy, and fulfilment in life on a limb. They obviously reckon it’s worth the risk.
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