Knox Box of Miscellany

Dawn Knox – A rearranger of words into something hopefully meaningful…

What’s Wrong with Boring? – #MuseItUp

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Dunnock or Prunella modularis

Dunnock or Prunella modularis

Have you seen the campaign persuading us to Vote for Bob? It says the following:

A vote for Bob is a vote for nature

I may be just one small red squirrel, but I have big ambitions. I want my young – and yours – to inherit a world where they can thrive.

I’m challenging all politicians to take care of the natural places we all need and enjoy. I’m not asking you to become a tree-hugger (that’s my job).

But in the run-up to the General Election, now’s the time to get nature on our politicians’ agenda.

A vote for Bob is a vote for nature. Sign the petition today.

A friend sent me an email asking me to vote for Bob and I voted. The following day, I received the Essex Wildlife’s quarterly magazine, urging people to adopt a species to save today’s wildlife for tomorrow. There are four animals on offer in the Essex Wildlife magazine, barn owl, heath fritillary, otter and soprano pipistrelle bat and I’d probably go for the barn owl from that list. It’s very tempting to select a species based on their beauty and charm and to me, there’s something very compelling about the open eyed innocence of an owl.

With wildlife very much on my mind this week, I wondered which species I’d adopt, assuming I had free choice, and decided it would be one of the plainest birds in my garden, the dunnock or Prunella modularis.
Not the most colourful, remarkable or prettiest of birds, it’s true. Some might even say they are rather boring. But a few mornings ago, in our garden, I spotted a dunnock near the bird food tray which is in a cage to stop the large birds from eating the small birds’ food. It wasn’t doing anything, just standing there and that was what was alarming. It didn’t move for several minutes, even when I went outside. Wondering if it was ill, I thought I’d put the cage over him, so that he had a chance to recover in safety but when I picked the cage up, it caught on something and made a noise which startled the bird and he panicked. He flapped about and flipped on his back, so I quickly picked him up, turned him the right way up and stroked him to try to soothe him. He sat on the palm of my hand for a moment or two and then lay his head down and died. It was so sad. So, I’m probably biased but my species of choice would be the Prunella modularis, in tribute to my little friend.

Owl at Warwick Castle

Owl at Warwick Castle

After meeting Nelson, Daffodil would probably choose dogs but then, if I were to meet a dog like Nelson, I might change my mind about dunnocks! To find out why, click here to go to the Muse It Up Publishing website to buy the ebook ‘Daffodil and the Thin Place’ #MuseItUp

 

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