It is 5 a.m and I am hanging out with the Sparrows under the eaves of my house. I want to see the view that this friendly colony of birds have from their terraced eyrie, so I climb as high as I dare and hang out of the window. Their nests are inches above my head and their view of the garden is ravishing!
This adventurous idea of mine to spend time with these colonial, social birds is accompanied by much cheeping and chirruping as the Sparrows go about their daily tasks. Totally unperturbed by my presence, they are constantly on the move, swooping back and forth down to the garden to get food for their young. And I realise how accustomed they must be to the daily rhythms of my gardening life, always flying around and above me as I go about my tasks. They must oversee the watering, weeding, planting and the filling of their feeders with nuts and seed, just like some winged garden caretakers.
With my arms aching now from all the reaching and thoughts of flying, I take some photos, capturing a glimpse of the birds-eye view of the habitat we share. These pictures will be the most perfect memento of how my life is entwined with these special, cheery little birds who help to make my garden feel so special.
Dartmoor Flower Shed 
Love the birds eye photo. Wow you have a magnificent garden, Karen. A place not just to harvest vegetables and appreciate blooms, but clearly a place that you are quietly proud of. Beautifully sculpted, articulately arranged. An environment begging to be tarried in, and absorbed. I see why you like gardening so much, cause you get to loiter in a corner of the earth like that. And to call it your own. Very nice.
Thank you so much for your kind comments. It is true that I love the garden, it feeds my soul and helps me to know where I belong in this world. And honestly, there is nowhere I would rather be than here. Like a plant, I have put my roots deep down in the earth and would not transplant well.
Although in the Winter, being here makes no sense at all, and there have been Summers when year after year the mist from the moor would roll down so that I could not even see the bottom of the garden and all was dripping wet. But then Spring comes around again and all the harsh weather is forgotten in the hope that is invested in another fine Summer.
Nice! I’m the same. I would not transplant well either.
Thanks Karen!
Karen, I love this post. Interesting, beautiful birds-eye view photos and story. But have you learned to cheep and chirrup yet?
I am chuckling at your comment, does that count?
Thank you so much for the lovely comment Cynthia.
Little birds are so sweet……like sprinklings of sugar…….flitting. So wonderful to have them nesting by you. Such a beautiful garden. You are reaping the rewards.
Thank you so much Gretchen. It was good to see things from the birds perspective. Yesterday the garden was buzzing with bees and I saw tiny frogs too. It suddenly struck me that I needed to go higher to connect with the birds.
I think different perspectives are good.
Hold on tight… no swooping for you!
I was worried that I would drop my camera!
And certainly no swooping for your camera!
I love these photos. What a gorgeous garden! I see bird baths and a pretty bird feeder and your Buddah statue. I love all the flowers every where. There is so much to take in this photo and enjoy. I hope you take more photos of the garden for us to marvel at it with you. You should be proud of such an accomplishment.
I am glad that the sparrows are doing so well in your garden. Sparrows have been declining in numbers everywhere. It is nice to think they found a perfect haven at home with you. Thank you for finally posting a picture of your garden.
Honey
There is such good weather in England here at the moment Honey and because I am able to garden more, the Cottage Garden flowers are just so lovely. I would like to photograph the very special flowers and will try tomorrow. Combinations such as Sweet Williams planted next to Fennel is just fabulous, everytime I look up there is something magical to see.
I left several Leeks in the ground to go to seed and they have a fairytale look about them!
Sometimes the beauty of nature just leaves me breathless and being able to share that joy by blogging is totally, totally fabulous!
Karen.
I am so glad that you finally have some warm weather. It looks like your garden has recovered from that terrible storm.I can’t wait to see more photos. Now when you write I’ve been working in my garden. I can picture you there.
As you know I share you awe of natures beauty, I know what you mean it is fun to share it by blogging
Honey.
You have a beautiful garden Karen or gardens 🙂 I love getting up early; my hearing is not too good and living less than a mile away from a busy motorway junction dulls the sound of the birds so I do like sitting outside mid summer before the morning rush starts and listening to the dawn chorus.
I think this summer will be a glorious one especially here in Yorkshire. I’ve not been active online for a while now I’ve been helping my independent wife .. She fell on Madisons birthday and broke both her foot and wrist but she is really well now; she is in a splint and has an airboot on but she is just being stubborn and independent but I do Keep trying to help her 😀
I have a friend from New Mexico coming over next week to stay with us for a while too so I’m getting preparations ready for his visit; My friend Robert is on your contacts list so that maybe how I found your blog too 🙂
take care and I do hope to post very soon;;
Glynn
I am so upset to hear about your wife’s foot and wrist! How terrible for her. You say she is in an air boot, I am not familiar with one of those. My foot was broken last January in error by a surgeon who was operating to fix something else, but I was in plaster and on crutches. Some breaks require a different approach. Your wife has come through so much and in reality will ned lots of help. But we ladies hate having to be helped. I can recall trying to water my garden with the hose pipe, on crutches! Nightmare!
With Robert coming there will be much to do. I have a deep fondest for that man and a great deal of empathy for his position. His visit to you both will do him the power of good. Just don’t you have an accident. We can;t have both of you laid up!
Please send Robert my best wishes. Don’t worry about your blog, we will all be here for you when the time is right.
Karen.
I want to be there. Right. Now. ~amy
Thank you Amy. It would be so interesting to see it through your eyes.
What a great and creative idea, to get a different perspective on your world–I’m glad you passed it along to us! Although I do have to admit, my toes kind of curled under–that looks very high up and off balance!
Thank you Kerry. It was so lovely to see the garden from up-high. It helped me to see that there is so much life going on all around me.
Beautiful garden… Wish mine looked half as nice…
Thank you so much.I am able to dedicate a lot of time to it at the moment, but it is never enough. Chaos is always happening in at least 10 places, all the time.
Such a lovely garden, Karen. Chaos in 10 places is nature’s way, you can love that too. 🙂 Namaste.
I am trying to love the chaos. It is a hard lesson for me, learning to let go, let nature take it’s course.
I had to look up “namaste” and it is lovely! I would very much like to return the greeting to you.
Namaste.
Lovely post; and great photos of you garden. It looks magnificent and a wonderful, joyous place to spend time. And to enjoy the harvest too … A well-deserved blessing. 🙂
What a wonderful bird’s eye view. Such a beautiful garden, no wonder the birds are happy to be part of it. And they do watch us, very closely. Of that I am convinced.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I have added more bird boxes for nesting in my garden this year, so I hope there will be even more birds soon! And yes, we do live so closely together don’t we? I love them….K