2 November 2022
I love birds. As a photographer, taking their pictures is a challenge I enjoy, and is very rewarding. One of my favourite feelings in the world is having a wild bird feed from my hand. The first time I experienced this, I was visiting Bosherston lily-ponds at Stackpole in Pembrokeshire. If you take some seed with you, the wild birds there will feed from your hand; blue-tits, chaffinches, and all kinds! This is very unusual. So, when I moved to my "forever home" in Carmarthenshire nearly ten years ago, I started regularly feeding the birds in my garden, in the hope that I could engage with my feathered friends more directly. This is easier said than done, as wild birds are naturally (and quite rightfully) nervous of humans. Though they quickly became used to my presence and would even tap on my window for more food - in hindsight, I should never have fed them from a bird table. I stood there like a lemon with my arm outstretched for about 15 minutes every day... but none of them were the slightest bit interested in taking food from my hand. All e xcept one brave little robin, that is. I soon discovered that there is an invisible boundary encompassing my bird table, apparently visible only to robins. This particular bird, being outside that territory, was constantly chased-off by another robin each time he attempted to visit the bird table. I crossed the "border" and began standing in his spot, arm outstretched, with tasty morsels that Wilym (the name I gave him) was sure to find irresistible - and my patience was eventually rewarded. I fed him at least once a day, over a period of a few months. It was lovely! Then, one day, he stopped coming to see me. His mate (who was always too nervous to visit my hand) remained in her usual place in the holly bush... but Wilym was nowhere to be seen. How I do miss that bird, and the joy of feeling his little feet on my hand! He is the reason why there is a robin on my Cardiau Karen logo.