Inspirational | Pilgrim's Perch

Swifts – a Joyful Return

Excitement in our household here in the UK – the swifts have returned!

We always greet these harbingers of summer with great joy. Here for such a short time they are a reminder of the fragility and wonder of nature. They are pilgrims of a special kind; such tiny birds, travelling vast distances at amazing speeds in their quest for survival.

The swift - an intriguing bird — The swift – an intriguing bird

Our swifts will have returned from Africa, where they spend the winter. Before this was understood it was believed that swifts spent the winter hibernating in the mud at the bottom of ponds!

Flying high and fast swifts feed on insects taken in flight. The scythe-like silhouette of the swift is immediately identifiable, as is its shrill, screech-like call. Watching them wheeling, swooping and diving in the sky is one of those wonders that gladdens the heart. It’s almost as if they indulge in aerodynamic gymnastics for the sheer joy of it.

Since Roman times swifts have nested in buildings rather than in holes in trees or cliff faces. Older buildings – barns, churches and traditional houses – provide nooks and crannies ideal for these acrobatic little birds to breed and rear young – and that’s the only time they ever rest from flight. Swifts have a small beak but wide gape and they’re able to gather small insects at the back of the throat, where they use saliva to form a bolus that can be regurgitated and fed to their young.

Swifts have tiny feet with forward-pointing toes and they are unable to perch on wires like swallows. They can’t take off from the ground, either. If you see one of these beautiful birds grounded take it gently in your hand, raise your hand slowly with the swift’s head facing outwards and encourage it gently into flight. They have a life span of up to ten years – during that time it has been estimated that they could fly a distance equivalent to the moon and back.

A swift flies the equivalent of the distance to the moon in its lifetime!

Their conservation status is not known accurately owing to the difficulty in surveying a bird that spends its life flying. However, indications are that the population has declined in recent years, especially in England and Scotland. Their future survival depends on successful breeding – we can help by placing artificial swift boxes on the outside of our houses, either fixing them to walls or using one to replace a house brick.

So, let the summer begin. Rejoice in the swooping, screaming and chasing of the swifts, as they revel in their summer-long party. No social distancing here!

A Strange Spring arrives

Spring has arrived, the clocks have gone forward and in the northern hemisphere the days are lengthening. But what an unfamiliar world we find ourselves in. With words like ‘isolation’, ‘social distancing’ and ‘vulnerable persons’ on everyone’s lips it is a spring like no other.

We find our movements restricted, the survival of jobs threatened, supplies limited. It is indeed a strange time. Often difficult conditions like these can bring out the best in people – we’ve seen volunteer groups set up, communities pulling together and neighbours helping out and keeping an eye open for those in need. For the most part this is cheering – maybe when the current peril is past we’ll be a kinder and more caring society.

But the end of this so-called ‘lock down’ is not just yet. We have to find ways to remain optimistic – not always easy if lifestyles and livelihoods are threatened. It is at times like these that we need even more to value simple things and this beautiful season of growth and awakening from winter slumber can provide some signs of cheer for the future.

Bright yellow gorse in flower — Bright honey-scented flowers of gorse

If you can get out for a walk or into a garden – enjoy it. Listen to the birdsong and the buzz of insects, feel the breeze on your skin and the warmth of the sun, look to the blue sky and enjoy what is around you.

Blackthorn flowers festoon the hedgerows

Blackthorn is in full flower now – its abundance clothes the hedgerows with foaming white flowers looking for all the world like a sudden eiderdown covering of snow. Indeed, the phrase ‘blackthorn winter’ stems from the frequent spells of cold weather that suddenly surprise us in the early days of April.

Spring bulbs in pots — Spring bulbs give a wonderful splash of colour

As the sun returns the spring bulbs are really coming into their own whether in pots or in the wild. This strange spring is a time of new growth, new opportunities, new ways of living and coping with a challenging situation. It will pass…

Tulips in many shades — Narcissus and tulips

Waiting, hoping, longing

On a visit to a small village high up in the Swiss alps some years ago, I was fortunate enough to visit the Anglican church there. The plain, simple interior highlighted the beautiful east window which depicted the majestic form of an eagle in flight. Words etched above the glass come from a passage in the book of the prophet Isaiah: ‘those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles…’

Stained glass window with image of eagle — They shall mount up with wings like eagles…

Sometimes it’s so hard to wait. Think of a child on the eve of a birthday treat. Think of someone waiting at an airport or railway station, eagerly anticipating the arrival of a loved one. Or think of a patient waiting and perhaps fearing the results of tests, or the outcome of a medical procedure. Waiting can be difficult and painful – a fear of the unknown can be worse than the reality when it is finally revealed.

But faith often takes us into unknown places where we are no longer certain of the old familiar paths. Things that used to work for us once upon a time have let us down; the tried and trusted no longer delivers – suddenly we’re out of our comfort zone.

But God tells us to be patient. We have to wait on the Lord – to allow His time to be our time. There is an Irish saying: ‘when God made time, He made plenty of it.’ In a society and age where everything has to happen at once, where instant gratification is the buzz phrase, it can be hard to have to wait. The Christian church is now in the season of Lent, a time of discipline and self-examination. It is also a time of waiting. We journey through a kind of wilderness time as winter’s grip still holds us in its clasp but the days lengthen and spring truly does draw on. (The word ‘Lent’ comes from the old word ‘Lencten’, meaning ‘a lengthening of days.’) It can be helpful to take a look at our lives and think again about just where we need to let God take charge – let him into our lives so that he can be our guide, inspiration and help. For, if we really let him – if we wait on his timescale and not ours – God truly will raise us up as though ‘on wings like eagles’.