3 January 2026

The changing natural environment was noted by Jeremy Clarkson on his farm ‘Diddy Squat’. He has been trying to encourage birds to enjoy the hospitality of his farmland by extending the uncultivated borders to his fields, leaving his hedges uncut, plantings wildflowers   and digging ponds.

It is his contention that when a rare bird like an osprey, which most of us haven’t seen or don’t see very often, is threatened, there’s a wild hullabaloo. However, when the smaller birds like sparrows and blue-tits are under threat with numbers falling by sixty per cent in the last fifty years, there’s much less drama.

As a result of his environmental initiatives, the birds came back to his farm. He sought an expert and invited them to determine how many species of bird were living and feeding off his farm. Astonishingly, within seven years, there were 45 different species – goldfinches, skylarks, buntings, whitethroats etc.

We often  see the sparrows and the blue-tits on the bird feeders. The blackbirds, the thrush, the starlings, the robin, the pigeon and the magpie are regular visitors to the garden. The robin sings in the early morning as does the blackbird, my favourite.

I see several blackbirds every morning on my early morning walk along the Kinnessburn. If one stops by me, I usually say, ‘Good morning, blackbird.’ Most of the time, it flies off without any acknowledgement. The other day, it stopped by me, cocked its head and made thrilling eye contact.

Yesterday, we considered the flowers  of the field.  Today it is the birds of the air. ‘They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.’ says Jesus. And the lesson, ‘Are you not of more value than they?’ They certainly add value to our lives and nurture patience, thoughtfulness and kindness to enrich it.