Blackbird sunset

Tonight as it begins to get dark, step outside and listen to the wild settle for the night.

The sky fades and the blackbirds mark their perch for the night. Chink, Chink, Chink. It’s a version of their alarm call, but steady and insistent. “I’m here I’m here I’m here”, tink tink tink. Up and down the hedgerow and along the river bank, one after the other in common chorus exclusive to the black feather and yellow beak. A final declaration before dark displaces the day. The call says “I’m alert, I’m looking for a threat, and this branch is mine” The call runs in turn along the line of trees. As the sound fades so too does the light. Silence doesn’t come, but the landscape settles. The blackbirds will be first to sound if a predator prowls — and the other species know this. Contracted alarm callers, broadcasting across the dark. Morning will come and prove their worth in a few hours.