June 2026 Musing on Bravery
June Muse – Bravery
The house sparrows who have a nest behind the main door post inside my barn have been busy defending their space. The invaders are starlings, which are almost double the size of the sparrows, and known competitors for the same nesting territory.
The sparrows are usually loud and active in the early evening when I’m in the barn and the adults are flying in with food for the chicks. The other night, the noise level and active flittering around made me stop to have a closer look.
There was a starling trying to get behind the post and into the nest while the adult sparrows were teaming up to keep her out. A few times the adults fell from the rafters in a ball of feathers and fuss. It was quite a spectacle as the starling raced to beat the sparrows back to the nest to gain an advantage.
What stands out to me is how the starling was laser focused on invading the nest rather than fighting the sparrows. She just kept pushing toward the nest behind the post as the sparrows were frantically trying to block her advances. Her size was a distinct advantage, even though the sparrows outnumbered her.
Scuffles in nature are most likely to be about competition for resources and survival. What triggered the starling to invade the sparrows?
Scarcity for a nesting spot could be motivating the starling. Yet, I know the starlings have successfully found other places to nest because I see the juveniles clunking around the yard learning to fly while receiving an occasional bolus of food from the adults.
Maybe the starling had success evicting sparrows previously and decided she liked the spot behind the post. The odds of success are in her favor, being twice the size of the sparrows. Am I witnessing bullying?
Sometimes starlings invade other nests to deposit an egg which leaves the responsibility of raising the chick to the sparrows. From what I have read, this isn’t so common and the sparrows will most likely push the starling egg out of the nest.
Whatever the case, the starling eventually flew off, and the sparrows resumed their feeding flights to and from the chicks waiting in the nest behind the post. I did find a small blue egg broken near the base of the post a couple of days later.
The scuffle prompted me to muse about bravery. The sparrows were acting with a fearless edge. I wonder if I conflate bravery and fearlessness. There is some nuance between the two. Bravery is choosing an action after considering the risks and potential consequences. Fearlessness is triggered by survival instinct and powered by the limbic system.
The sparrows were dealing with an actual threat that triggered their instinct and gave them power to act fearlessly. Sadly, for humans, the same fearless, limbic reaction can be triggered by a story. Just words, no actual threat, simply the fear of an imagined threat.
When I recognize a story in my head that is triggering fear, I want to practice responding with bravery instead of reacting to fear I’m creating with my words and imagination. I’m finding the courage to push pause on the story. I’m exercising my bravery muscles. Is this story actually true? How is this story affecting me in real life? What are the risks if I ignore or push back on this story? What are the potential positive consequences of being brave?
Instincts may trigger our fearlessness, but a short pause to reflect and consider our own wisdom can help us find the will to be brave.
Let me know how you are practicing bravery. Are the animals leading you to a better understanding of bravery?
Spirit Animal - Lion
Lions are symbolic of heart centered power. They have mastery of ego and emotion in the face of fear. We say that a person has the “heart of a lion” not the “head of a lion” or the “tribe of a lion.” Call on Lion when you need to bolster your bravery.