See the Miraculous in the Common

A very pretentious title for a post about run-of-the-mill birds in my local park. The full quote is “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common“.

We just had an urban birder themed week with posts about interesting people and places. What would a post about an urban park possibly contribute? Wisdom? I wish I could dazzle you with miraculous photographs, but you know I can’t. I just want to share some recent sightings of very common birds, like the Common Moorhen that is quite abundant in my local park.

The Grey Heron – the header picture – has a thriving colony in the only Scots pine in the park. They are busy remodelling their nests after last year’s breeding season. I counted at least 20 fledglings in 2025, so including their parents there were 60 or more herons in the heronry. Yet most people walk past without even realising the birds are there, let alone understand what’s going on. Maybe the Grey Heron needs an Instagram account? Every bird in the park seems to be noisy: the omnipresent Egyptian Geese, the Rose-ringed parakeets and the Western Jackdaws. All clamouring for attention in the loudest possible way. Just look up from the phone… And when not on the phone it’s not much better. While I was observing a group of Long-tailed Tits a lady walking by glared at me like she knew me from the Epstein files and an elderly gentleman did ask what was up in the tree and then couldn’t care less once I told him. Like he was expecting a monkey or an alien up there.

Have I become a grumpy old man, incapable of appreciating the advances of modern technology? With nobody even noticing the screeching and calls of parakeets and jackdaws who will notice the quiet beauty of the Gadwall. Quite depressing really, spring should come sooner rather than later.