Despite the chilly rain, spring struggles on, here in France, and the pair of magpies nesting in the pine tree over the back fence finally saw their three offspring launched from the nest this week. I watched them during breakfast as they flopped about in the neighbouring birch, misjudging distances, pecking optimistically at trembling leaves, and surprising themselves with flight.
Their parents had fended off crows and cats, rival couples after their territory, and the cold weather. These three, in their black bibs and white waistcoats, were part of the continuity of things, despite the odds. Most scientists would say that life, in whatever form, is a highly improbable event.
Like baby magpies, Edmund Rice International is new, but standing in a long line of improbably vivacious events. Nor are we the end of the story. We’re here to give life to those seeking, through advocacy, a fair and sustainable future. It is an enduring project.
i wonder do they return in spring 2011