Silence Hurts

/ michaelwynnauthor

This excellent prompt reminded me of an App I have called ‘Birds of Britain,’ which plays bird songs to help identify them in the field. There are others available and undoubtedly American versions. As a lot of us are restricted to our homes, I thought I might let you know there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had playing this app full blast in the garden and watching the birds it attracts. Springtime is obviously the best time, when territories are being fought over and mates sought. Some of them come quite close, especially the Chaffinches and Robins, who take very strongly against intruders to their territory. (They won’t actually fight your phone or I-pad but will shout at it.) It often brings into the open birds, which would be otherwise hard to spot. I hope you get lucky, if you try this.

Now for this week’s entry:

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO PROMPT © Douglas M. MacIlroy

He checked the phone connection constantly now. It was madness but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything else. He neither ate nor slept.
‘No news is good news,’ they say but no news mauls the nerves; No news twists and blackens the imagination. No news is Hell.
A small bird had taken to joining him at the window, filling the void with its honeyed song. He loved that bird. He loved its trust and sympathy.
But he didn’t want sweet cadences now, he craved the harsh, mechanical shrill of the phone.
A tear fell; ‘no news.’ She wasn’t coming home.

Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.

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47 thoughts on “Silence Hurts”

    • Do give it a go, it can be very rewarding. It mostly attracts males, although I did pull a rather saucy female blackcap once. There are those that don’t approach but return the call so you can identify what’s around you, the tree pipits did this. Start with common birds and work your way through the species. Don’t bother with Puffins, if you’re not out in the Atlantic on a rocky scottish island.

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  14. Interesting; as a boy I would sit quietly and observe many of the birds in the garden or in the hedge along the filed. There was a great variety then, nowadays I only ever see and hear Sparrows, blackbirds and robins. Where have all the finch family gone?

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  17. I know the frustration of waiting for my phone to spring to life. I sense there’s more going on here than a jilted lover, though.

    That’s sounds like a pretty cool app. I couldn’t use it if I wanted, though. We get enough birds around here. Every one drives the dogs crazy.

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  18. One of my far off elderly friends is in hospital with the virus. I have so been missing the twice weekly phone calls we had put in place when the lockdown came in…. No one from his family can visit him It is a terrible situation. I was pleased to read your story,

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