Natures Stained Glass Window and Something About Crows

The hedgerow was filled with the noise of squawking birds. Loud enough that I could hear it from the kitchen with all the doors and windows closed. Emery was tilling the garden, his straw hat peeking up over the grape vines that grow along the garden fence, to see what all the racket was about. Of course I grabbed my camera before stepping out of the house and went to explore. There in the tall hedges behind the milk house and chicken house, 8 or 10 blue jays were angry at some tiny wrens. I suspect an issue of territory. I stood under the bushes, in the thick of it all, literally and figuratively regarding the tiny land war. Watching, trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. Two small wrens hopping on the ground, blue jays darting from branch to branch as if to launch some great attack on these tiny birds. I couldn't find any nest. Its not the right season really for babies, but knowing that Blue Jays are in the Corvidae family, and have many of the same kinds of behaviors as their Crow and Raven cousins, I was pretty sure it was a group effort to keep things the way the Jays wanted it. I could go on and on about birds, especially Crows and any of the Corvidae family. Magpies I am not really familiar with but I am sure they are interesting as well. I have raised Crows, love their commitment to family and community and their amazing intelligence. Can't talk about Crows without making this statement. In the U.S. you are not able to keep a pet crow, or even save a tiny crow baby without a special permit, (not easy to obtain by the way) however you can shoot as many crows as you want and with a shotgun should you choose, blowing them into smithereens. Now, I know Crows can be pesky but something about those laws seem a bit well, out of balance. Our first baby crow, Nevermore was simply adorable. Smart as can be. I think I can safely say he was my all time favorite pet. I feed crows, I call crows with my crow caller and I advocate for them when I can. Just love how smart they are and how you can teach them to talk. I had no intention of going in this direction with my post but, words often take their own journey, not always following the map we set out with.
Back on track here.....when I was out under the hedgerow, I was trying to catch a good photo of the little wrens, but they hop around too fast and not one picture turned out good, but I did snap this picture of the where they were, when I looked at it, I was struck by the simple beauty of the way the light struck the leaves and vines woven into the fence. It was natures stained glass window ! Right then and there I knew that if I had lived before the time of stained glass windows I could have been inspired to make one from this view. If we follow our senses and look for where the sounds are coming from, or search out the source of the sweet smell of an unknown flower, we might just stumble upon beauty beyond what we can imagine in our minds eye. If I had ignored the noise from the Jays I would have missed this moment of "oh my". Step outside, look around you, see the beauty and simplicity of creation. Etch the sights and sounds of nature into your mind to be recalled while sitting in traffic, while doing some mundane mindless chore. It can become your inner spa moment !
If you are interested in learning more about Crows and Ravens, Bernd Heinrich is the author I recommend. His books are wonderful, I especially like "A Year in the Maine Woods" and "Mind of the Raven" . His work with Ravens is unparalleled, IMHO.