Photo Credit: Sinclair Oldfield Photography (used with permission)
There is something beautiful about getting away from the chaos of the fast-paced life in the city, to let the tension melt away with that first sweet breath of rainforest air. The honeyed scent of eucalypts in bloom delights the senses, the sounds of so many little birds that call this place home fills the air. This is their playground, their sanctuary. And I am privileged, for a moment, to be a part of it.
I make my way slowly through the forest, treading carefully through the leaf litter to avoid the sticks and twigs littering the forest floor that will frighten away these little ones. For this day at least, there is no urgency, no need to rush.
The Splendid Fairy Wren fits his name perfectly. Heard first rather than seen, I pause in my tracks to listen to the familiar, intricate little song of chips and twills. As delicate as his namesake, he alights on a tiny branch within view. His spectacular plumage shimmers with sapphire, cobalt, azure, midnight and indigo. My heart rejoices in the joy of catching a glimpse of this tiny work of art. But perhaps even more beautiful than this stunning little one's feathers is the joy with which he plays, jumping from branch to branch and back again! As I continue to watch, his family arrives, snuggling into a tight little bundle of fluffy feathers on that first tiny little branch. Happy for a moment, one decides to chase another, and they are all off again... back into the forest and out of sight.
I hold onto that fleeting first glimpse of those stunning feathers, burning it into my memory. I cannot help but be filled with praise for the One who designed those tiny feathers, who wrote the beautiful song in which he sings, who created the very colours that decorate his plumage. The Master Artist, creating with His own hands such unimaginable beauty - beauty without a purpose, but to bring joy to the viewer, if we only take the time to look.
- Subject Matter: Animal/Wildlife
- Collections: Treasures of the Great South Land