A Song Thrush Cements The Bonds Of Friendship
Written by Phil Brown, Badger Bushcraft Blog Thursday, 26 May 2011 08:20
Over the last few years we have seen a marked increase in the amount of song thrush (Turdus philomelos) that we share our small section of the Kentish landscape with and close encounters with these beautiful birds always seem to herald a powerful experience.
I was sat very quietly the other afternoon having a conversation with Ken, one on my friends who also shares a passion for wildlife and outdoor living, when a song thrush landed and sat watching us from a distance of well under one metre. We both commented on how wonderful that experience was to share with each other and wondered if the encounter would have been as meaningful if we on our own? Suffice to say we both agreed that these type of events, where either we closely observe The Nature or when we are sitting quietly and The Nature stumbles upon us, are exceptionally important to our spiritual wellbeing and help to build and cement very strong bonds of friendship. Sharing experiences like this with friends and clients is at the core of why we work in outdoor education. 
Having always lived rurally and then in the small Kent village of Egerton for some seventeen years I have become accustomed to many things and, as so often the way in this busy modern world, can take some of “life’s little blessings” for granted. Each an every morning for the last three months the Badger Bushcraft office has been blessed with the beautiful song from a resident song thrush. This particular bird sits in the silver birch tree directly above our office and serenades us from early morning and throughout the day between feeding and its other parental duties. I often enjoy this stunning solo performance with an early morning coffee as I gather my thoughts and prepare for my work, with a performance so beautiful it is too easy to find oneself lost in the tranquil yet haunting notes and finding ones coffee has gone cold.
I am so pleased to see the local song thrush population is on the increase and hope that this will last as these are one of my favourite resident birds and I feel truly blessed to be able to see and hear one singing to me each morning – what a great way to start each day!
