Perhaps it’s because my pending Halloween party is on my mind or maybe the folk lore article I’m currently researching caused it, but the sight of the little Dunnock peering at me from the side of the footpath yesterday took on an added significance when the post arrived this morning …

[More:]

The only letter for me was a bulky package which contained several sheets of hand written notes. They were from a friend who I used to see quite often when I was a member of a small song writing group.

The notes reminded me of a discussion we’d had during one of the meetings about how birds are seen by some as messengers from the underworld. This certainly gave me a jolt and immediately brought to mind the hedge sparrow I’d seen yesterday. It seemed completely unafraid of my presence, quietly eyeing me from just a few feet away and not moving until my dog came bounding around the corner. Even then all it did was slip into the hedge where I could still see it fixing me with its beady stare!

I was even more staggered when on reading further through my friend’s notes to find him recounting the true tale of several encounters with a barn owl which took place during the past year. The encounters seem to occur at particularly stressful times in his life. He was of course hoping I could provide an explanation, but I’m just as mystified as he is!

In fact, I’m still scratching my head over what that little dunnock was trying to tell me!