Seeing Our Reflection In Nature

Last year I had the opportunity to watch the same Flicker Woodpecker (I believe) repeatedly perch on the school windowsill and peer at the tree as seen in the reflection of the tinted window. (Is the grass greener on the other side?) The Flickers compete with the Starlings for nesting space in the trees along the school. By October, I really wondered if he had figured it out?

The population of Flickers has increased in my neighbourhood as the Pine forests surrounding my area of town have been removed or no longer contain food. The forests in the Interior of British Columbia have changed dramatically due to Pine Beetle killing off the grand Pine Trees. Apparently,Pine Trees can live to be up to 700 years old. The older trees are more resilient. It is the trees under 100 years old that are most vulnerable. The trees affected by Pine Beetles rot quickly at the base and become a hazard and snap off quickly. This year the Spruce Bud Worm is a threat attacking the Spruce Trees. As well our forests are tinder dry and this increases the risk for wild fires.

Perhaps you have heard the Flicker Wake Up call on top of your home

Below David Attenborough presents the amazing Lyre bird, which mimics the calls of other birds - and chainsaws and camera shutters -in this video clip from The Life of Birds from BBC

~~~~~~~~

Some words to reflect upon~

"When the perception of time is altered using the body's own processes, there is nearly always an increase in environmental awareness. We slow down enough to notice the space between leaves, to become poetic, lyrical, and multidimensional in our comprehension of the world around us. If we limit the availability of this quality time we engender a speediness of mind that can turn against and destroy its own world."

pg 67 Navigating The Tides Of Change ~ Stories From Science, The Sacred, and a Wise Planet, 2001 by David LaChapelle

How would you invite periods of timelessness into daily life?