Simon Barnes Author and Journalist

Sports and Wild Blog

Simon Barnes
  • Home
  • Biog
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Pictures
  • Contact
  • Twitter

Up yours!

25 November 2015 by Simon Barnes 14 Comments

A tiny scratching noise from the window as I sat here typing away. Naturally I raised my eyes. And for a second – maybe even 1.5 seconds – I was three feet – maybe even 2 ft 6 in – from a wren. How tiny! How absurdly, ridiculously, impossibly tiny!

It clung there, balanced, twisted at about 45 degrees of vertical. I suspect it had been hunting for even tinier invertebrates in the weather-battered wood of the window-frame. And for that tiny length of time it was mine to rejoice in.

The cocky tail is something we humans have always rather liked. We put a wren on the reverse side of the farthing, a coin worth, let me inform younger readers, a quarter of an old penny or 1/960th of a pound. That tail seems an act of defiance, telling us that here is a small scrap of life ready to take on the entire world, and I reckon that’s what excited the coin-makers. It’s a great feathery up-yours to the forces of distruction.

Close to, the pattern on the feathers is exquisitely delineated, as if with the pen of a Chinese calligrapher, one working in sepia instead of the usual black. And I was touched by this sight: absurdly, ridiculously, impossibly touched.

Birds are so much smaller than we think. In movement, through the binoculars, they look quite substantial, but a museum specimen or a bird this close seems half the size at best. Wrens are phenomenally loud birds: even their monosyllabic calls are enormous. Their song – and on sunny mornings they will give a sudden shout of song even in winter – is a garden-filling event.

But up close you are aware of their fragility: I could hold a dozen in my cupped hands. Then, when you take in their busyness, the brightness of the eye, the jauntiness of that tail, fragility seems

to be the last thing on their minds. And it seemed to me that the wren can stand as an emblem for the entirety of the wild world: infinitely fragile, infinitely defiant, utterly concentrated on life and on making more life, and, against all the odds, determined to live forever or die in the attempt.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Posted in Wildblog

Comments

  1. Dorothy Brooks says

    25 November 2015 at 5:00 pm

    Thank you, Simon for recognising the joy of the wren. Last winter I had one which regularly came to my hand for wax worms. I almost cried with joy! What a privilege! Dorothy B.

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      6 December 2015 at 12:35 pm

      Absolutely, sounds like your good at patience and stillness.

      Reply
  2. David Gibson says

    25 November 2015 at 5:02 pm

    “The poor wren,
    The most diminutive of birds, will fight,
    Her young ones in her nest, against the owl.”

    MACBETH Act IV Scene ii

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      6 December 2015 at 12:35 pm

      Thanks for that!

      Reply
  3. Ann says

    25 November 2015 at 5:05 pm

    Oh Simon, how I’m loving all your wildlife blogs. I got to know you through your articles in the RSPB magazine then a couple of your books. Each article lifts my spirits and as I also live in Norfolk, makes me feel quite at home. You’ve been spoiling us this week but I’m not complaining!

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      6 December 2015 at 12:34 pm

      Thanks for you kind words Ann, i’ll try and keep them coming.

      Reply
  4. george louis says

    25 November 2015 at 5:12 pm

    That’s a lovely tale, I love seeing wrens they are such a indomitable little presence ☺

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      6 December 2015 at 12:34 pm

      I remember years ago looking for a bird which was making such an explosive noise in a wood. Couldn’t believe it when I found my wren.

      Reply
  5. Debby Horsman says

    25 November 2015 at 6:14 pm

    and they are so loud when annoyed. I’ve been told that a bluetit weighs the same as a £1 coin; does a wren perhaps weigh the same as a farthing?

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      6 December 2015 at 12:33 pm

      A lovely notion, in Zambia the now defunct One Ngwei coin had an aardvark on the back. I had one (coin not beast) but I lost it, a real tragedy!

      Reply
  6. Olly says

    25 November 2015 at 11:17 pm

    Wrens are utterly fabulous little survivors. Even though they are ubiquitous, seeing one close enough to appreciate its under-stated, simple beauty is always an absolute pleasure.

    I was lucky enough to watch one busy foraging from around 4 feet away recently. It was a little ball of pure energy, constantly on the move, only stopping to belt out his absurdly loud song. Glorious.

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      6 December 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Their defiance is an inspiration to us all.

      Reply
  7. Michael John Clark says

    26 November 2015 at 9:50 am

    Such a loud song for such a diminutive bird. Small singers with powerful voices? Elvis Costello? Not quite so melodic!

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      6 December 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Here’s a fascinating face – a humpback whale song sounds like a nightingale.

      Reply

Please leave a comment Cancel reply

Receive Blog Updates By Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,417 other subscribers.

Recent Comments

  • Penny Woollams on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Rob Howell on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Jolyon Barton on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Michael Clark on Cousin Caterpillar… one day he’ll wake with wings
  • Alan P on Swift as a bow from an arrow…

Categories

  • Myblog (7)
  • Sportsblog (7)
  • Wildblog (215)

Archives

  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014

© Simon Barnes · info@simonbarnesauthor.co.uk
Home page photograph © David Bebber · Bird drawings © foxillustration.com
Created by Purple Hippo

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.