Pacific Wren(Troglodytes pacificus)
Annie Dilliard says “If we wake at all we wake to mystery”.
I’m sitting in my red national park chair having my morning coffee. I got up early, hiked up into
the snow on top of Elk Mtn. Now I’m back, basking in a day filled with promise. The
Orange-crowned Warblers will soon be back, the Townsend's Solitaires are starting to show up
and Robins are more plentiful again. These creatures are harbingers of spring. Yes, we wait for
temps to reach double digits, for the warmed earth to release its pungent odors and for the
promise of the frog chorus.
The resident Pacific Wrens belt out their trill that lasts a lifetime. This little energetic and
watchful bird is the most enthusiastic creature you will ever see. It’s niche is in the understory, in
the deep dark forest where light is scarce. This is the realm where fecundity thrives. It flits here,
sublimely at home as it embodies action. Darting, searching, exploring, then without warning
bursts into a warbling trill that lasts a full 30 seconds. It leaves one breathless, both for its
beauty and its complexity. Who can even sing that long without breath? Well what is he saying
and why does it take a 4” fluff of brown feathers so long to say it? What is he belting out? WHY
is he singing? What kind of sentience exists in this tiny package? Is this song an extravagant act
or one of brevity? Both.
Genius comes to mind, no thrift when it comes to creation, to the Creators bounty, to His
boundless joy over a tiny bird with a huge sound. With all there could be said about God this
little bird says it all or at least a lot. It packs a heavenly punch, giving God a jolting wake up call.
“Yes, yes that’s my little guy......sing, sing for all your worth, for all I’m worth”! That’s brevity, for
how can you say it all in 30 seconds? Somehow it happens. This is highest praise because it's
released from innocence and given without reservation. The bird does what it is. The condensed
but undiminished praise, the half minute, brief but unfaltering praise for the Creator is pure
splendor! Worship? This exquisite creature speaks God's syllables, but in a word. Then there is
Robin and Yellow Warbler and Black-capped Chickadee. There is Green Violetear and White
wagtail and about 10,000 more to add to the story. Each magnificent creature conceals a spark,
yet reveals His presence.
The entire created order is a veil through which the face of God is revealed to us, a window
through which we catch a glimpse of God. Romans 1: 19-20
The wonder is this—the joy of God over this tiny bird, felt by Him and us. He owns it(joy), we
know it too. Could it be that our enthusiasm for the wild world, our love of wildness, could never
match the creators delight in the beauty and abundance of this ongoing and unfolding world. I’ll
certainly try though! It’s worth a shot.