THE SAGA OF BABY BIRDS AND WILD CATS ON STILL MOUNTAIN plus 2 short bird music videos that you will love!
It is a joy to have hundreds of birds coming to our feeders everyday, to have our birdhouses full of baby birds and two wild cats to keep the rodents at bay.
Written and published by Chinmayan in loving appreciation of all life!
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This is SUNDAY EDITION of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine #1388
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STILL MOUNTAIN CHRONICLES SECTION # 196
Stories by Chinmayan about our life in pursuit of simple living, our own spiritual path and our service to the world in a small meditation center in the mountains of Northern California
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“OUR BIRD FRIENDS VISITING OUR FEEDERS NEXT TO THE BLACKBERRY BRAMBLE and WIDE FIELDS ON STILL MOUNTAIN” 2 short videos by Chinmayan with a “Om Mani Paydmeh Hung” (the mantra of Love and Compassion) soundtrack
All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay
WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF BIRD FRIENDS VISITING OUR FEEDERS EVERY DAY for breakfast, lunch and dinner
It is an unmitigated joy to have hundreds of birds coming everyday to our feeder, to have our birdhouses full of baby birds and two wild cats who help keep the rodents at bay
From my “Cave” writing studio, I can hear the hungry chirping of several baby birds in one of our homemade birdhouses we set up in the garden.
Since we transformed this flat empty piece of land into a thriving garden, we have created an ideal habitat for birds of all kinds—from wrens to sparrows to doves to crows.
The garden is surrounded on the north side by a 200 foot long blackberry bramble which grows over our tall redwood boundary fence from the field next to us.
We pick the biggest, plumpest and sweetest berries I have ever tasted from it from mid July until late September.
This bramble gives the birds a protected refuge, along with the two oaks on each end, that they can fly into and out of easily.
The birds know they are safe here from the hawks and falcons that circle overhead, ever ready to dive down and catch any careless prey with their sharp talons.
OUR WILD CATS ARE RARELY SEEN BUT HAVE AN IMPORTANT PART TO PLAY IN KEEPING STILL MOUNTAIN FROM BEING OVERRUN BY RODENTS
We do have at least two wild cats slinking around that do not like to be seen by us.
We welcome them here because they lurk around at night, hunting and getting fat on field mice and wood rats who would otherwise be invading and making their home in our huge old Meditation Center building.
But the cats do not bother the birds, though I sometimes see them watching their joyous flying about our yard with wistful looks.
They do not bother the birds, because, I believe, of our presence.
The few times I have unexpectedly caught one of these cats crossing the yard, the cat freezes with an “oh shit!” look on its face and then bolts for the nearest hiding place.
I am glad for their symbiotic relationship with us because without them and their hunting prowess (both of them look very well fed), our building would be overrun by rodents who live in the tall grass of the fields surrounding us on 3 sides.
ALL KINDS OF BIRDS, SIZES AND COLORS FLY IN TO OUR BIRD FEEDERS
But I have a special love for the hundreds of birds who fly in each day to eat at our bird feeders. They come in all sizes and colors and are a source of endless joy.
Every morning when I go out at dawn to refill the bird feeders, which were emptied down to the last seed the day before, I see many birds perched in the branches of the the oak trees and in the fence, all in eager anticipation of the hearty breakfast they know will soon be provided.
WE HUMANS COULD LEARN IMPORTANT THINGS FROM BIRDS
We have much we humans could learn from birds.
I have the feeders positioned so that we can see them from inside my house through the windows, and I never tire of watching them…flying in from all over the wide valley, landing somewhere near the feeders, then patiently waiting for their turn and singing their hearts out with joyful abandon while they wait.
I never see them competing or squabbling. When the birds that are feeding themselves are done, they fly back up into the trees to make room for the next wave of birds to get a meal.
Each bird waits for its turn patiently, and when its their time only the right number of birds will fly down so that there is room for all without crowding or bickering.
In this way, birds are always coming and going in a kind of bird symphony that they seem to all know is being directed by an unseen hand.
I also notice that the different species stay together, while two or three different species may be feeding at the same time.
This carefully orchestrated feeding goes on without pause until the food is eaten down to the last seed.
I also notice that there are two or three birds on sentry duty, scanning the skies for any potential threats from birds of prey. When one is spotted, even in the distance, the sentries squawk out the alarm and instantly, every bird disappears into the refuge and safety of the blackberry brambles.
THE JOY OF BEING WITH SWEET, INNOCENT AND BEAUTIFUL BIRDS
There are few things in life that are as sweet, beautiful and innocent as birds.
Years ago, we built several redwood bird houses and placed them high up on fence posts or the side of the building. Every Spring, we can see bird couples come to check out the houses together, choose an empty one and then watch them flying in with sticks and string in their beaks as they build their new nests.
Then, we get to watch as the proud parents bring food to the hungry hatchlings until they finally grow up, climb out of the “door” of the bird houses and fly away to new lives on their own.
In this way we get to help Mother Nature keep the wheel of life going…and that is a pleasure we never tire of!
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“I see my life as an unfolding set of opportunities to awaken.” —Ram Das
“When God is the center and focus of my life, everything else falls into it’s rightful place.”
—Chinmayan
