This evening, we were stood just outside my front door when we heard a noise outside. A lot of noise. Out of curiosity, went to see what was going on. On approach we found a young male Blackbird getting his feathers plucked out by a big ol’ Magpie. I couldn’t help but start running over. My head was long gone and my heart was in charge of my feet. Whilst I’m aware that nature will do what nature will do, I kind of can’t stand to be a spectator for it. The Magpie flew off. The little Blackbird was lying on the ground in shock, not moving at all so I scooped him up with both hands and brought him inside the house for some cuddles whilst he calmed down.
For a while he was most comfortable on me so I just held him in love. He had sleepy little eyes and a wide open beak… Soon, he began to perk up a little and his sparkly bright eyes widened. We put a towel in a box with some food in but he didn’t want to go inside the box. Nope. This Blackbird is a free bird and a box is not for him. We tried to encourage him in but he just clung onto my arm and started walking up towards my shoulder. I told him I understood because I don't like to put in boxes either! We are both free birds me and Mr Blackbird, who we named Monsieur Noir :)
He was willing to sit on the blanket which is atop the sofa and just chilled out there for a while. At one point, he did jump through the window and went outside onto the lower ledge under one of our windows. However, he wasn’t ready to fly yet and that Magpie was scoping him out again. Flying in and out eyeing him out. We were a little unsure of him sitting out on the ledge when he was still so tired and unable to fly... So, it would seem it was now my Boyfriend’s heart that swooped in. He jumped out the window, lowered himself onto the ledge, scooped the Blackbird back up and passed him back inside.
It should be noted that once our Blackbird was more alert, there were two occasions that scooped him up (one time to place him near the window and once again to bring him back in), and he would trill out with the most enormous sound which reminded me of a car alarm. It was superb! Of course, we didn’t want him to be distressed so we didn’t scoop him again. He came inside, rested on the blanket for a while… And once he was more confident he flew out the window, onto the pavement and into a nearby hedge.
It was quite an evening because we hadn’t expected any of it. It was all a grand surprise on a Sunday evening to be rescuing and befriending a Blackbird. And what a beautiful Blackbird he was! Holding him close was a bit of a dream and although I wish he hadn’t found himself in the traumatic situation that he did, I could tell he was basking in the love that embraced him afterwards. My daughter commented that he appeared to like me and I’m sure he was thankful to have been cared for. I have a feeling that we may have made a friend for life and he may even come visit us soon.
Of course, following our encounter I just had to bring some Blackbird wisdom and symbolism forward.
Blackbird: Sing the song that is in your heart
I believe the most stand out thing about Blackbirds is their voice. They have a voice, powerful and strong and they use it. Their song is one of the most recognised and adored in the UK. They are beautiful singers and everyone can hear them. Blackbird encourages us to use our own beautiful voices, to be heard and to be known and to be felt through our vocal expression. They reassure us that people begin to see us more clearly once they hear us and also that we have the ability to enhance environments and make people feel better through using our voice. They encourage us to speak our truth, to speak from the heart and be ourselves. They ask us to sing the song that is in our hearts.
Apparently, they also are known to sing after a rainfall… I love that even after the storm, the song in their hearts still sings out. A reminder that even following challenging times, our voice is still valuable and maybe even more necessary in this world.
Blackbirds can be found almost anywhere through the UK and Europe and this is mostly due to their adaptability. They are able to live anywhere, be it neighbourhoods or woodland. Wherever they are, they are home. They remind me of the Rumi quote, “Wherever you are, be the soul of that place.” They remind us that we are not searching for the right place to belong, but rather we already belong, wherever we are. They also encourage our own adaptability in order to thrive and evolve. Change need not uproot us if we believe in our capacity to adjust and use our experience. Everything we need is within us and we take it with us. We are free to welcome new life experiences.
Black is a colour associated with the Mysteries so Blackbird is also one of the Divine Messengers. A bridge between the seen and unseen. I think this is reflective in their ability to fly the skies and a preference for being connected to the Earth, jumping across the grass and feeding from the ground. These beautiful birds have such a lovely nature to them that they are a sign of joyful spiritual connection and of course, communication with the Spirit world and the Divine for nurturing and caring conversation, support and guidance.
When Blackbird flies into our lives, we can move into light-hearted living and express powerful and loving communication whilst knowing that we are Divinely guided, inspired, moved and blessed.
I was thrilled with my visit from Blackbird and look forward to experiencing more of him in my life.