The Kestrel

The natural world teaches us many lessons.  The Kestrel, a bird of prey teaches us one very important truth.  It has always been a well-known country bird living well from open fields where food is easily available.  But a number of years ago there was a dramatic change in the way humanity managed the countryside.  In order to provide more and more food for an ever growing population, farmers were encouraged to plough right up the edge of their fields.  Around the same time scientists began working on discovering and consequently manufacturing on an industrial scale, pesticides to give a more bountiful harvest.  They succeeded in protecting the crops from pests but at the same time killed off much of the other wildlife that survived in the fields.  Many birds that nested on the ground and small creatures were destroyed or at least greatly affected.

The kestrel, however, managed to survive quite well.  It’s secret for success?  Flying overhead, it realised that the verges on either side of busy motorways and railroads were not cultivated for crops and therefore were not sprayed with the deadly insecticides and pesticides.  This meant that by changing the focus of their search, they were still able to eat well and raise a family of young chicks every year.

Adaptability is the important lesson that we learn from the kestrel.  When things get difficult, it is easy to moan and grow despondent but if we can learn this important lesson, we are more able to survive.  Learning to adapt and change the way we look at things and do things can often mean that we are still able to achieve the desired goals and rise above our problems.  As St Paul puts it, ‘I have learnt to be content whatever the circumstances’. (Phil. 4:11)  Difficult?  Yes, but worth trying.