The Willy Wagtail

If that fella Willy Wagtail dance for you and make dat clicking sound, you listen! Something you need to hear. Pay attention then. Not just to him but in your life.

Aunty Mary

Hey, Lovelies!

Here in my treehouse I have a Willy Wagtail – a small black and white Australian native bird – come and visit most days.

In the mornings he alights on the roof outside my bedroom window. Then he jumps in and out of the rainwater that has accumulated in the gutter, drinking and splashing himself clean and ready for the day. He ignores me mostly. The morning is his private time.

But I am always pleased to see him.

Later in the day he busies himself in the tops of the trees outside my writing room. He catches insects, calls to other birds, and does bird business.

Sometimes though, he alights on a branch, stares directly at me, clicks loudly and then jumps around clicking and doing what he can to get me to pay attention.
As soon as I notice him, and he knows that I have seen him and heard him, he goes quiet. He stares at me. And then he flies away.

I had forgotten all about what Aunty Mary taught me about this small bird, back when I lived for a time in the remote outback, in the Kimberley in Western Australia.

As I looked through my memoir manuscript on the weekend I remembered.

So, now I will wait patiently for the message. Wherever it comes from.

In the meantime, I will thank Mr Wagtail, and continue to enjoy his presence in my daily life.

I feel so blessed to be here on the mountain, surrounded by trees and birds and quiet.

Oh, it’s good for my soul!

Love, feathers and tweets, Nicole xx

Hi! I'm Nicole Cody. I am a writer, psychic, metaphysical teacher and organic farmer. I love to read, cook, walk on the beach, dance in the rain and grow things. Sometimes, to entertain my cows, I dance in my gumboots. Gumboot dancing is very under-rated.
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6 thoughts on “The Willy Wagtail

  1. Hi Nicole, I went looking for the meaning of a Willy Wagtail appearing to you because for the past couple of days I have had the same little WW come up to me talk with me, jump up on me, peck at my hand and just seems to want to play or tell me something, it’s been very heartwarming but I am wondering if there is a deeper meaning to this. Any ideas???

  2. Great story for NAIDOC Week because I am an Indigenous South Australian of the Peramangk Mob and the Willy Wagtail is one of our mobs totem animals. We have the largest Willy Wagtail we have ever seen living near our home and we affectionately call him ‘Fatty’. The Peramangk believe the Willy Wagtail is a friend and is to be treated with respect and greeted whenever he appears. ‘Fatty’ always whistles back.
    If I am ever worried about anything “Fatty’ appears and then I know everything will be okay.

    1. Hello peramangkelder,
      I live on Peramangk lands, but we don’t have willy wagtails here maybe because it’s very wooded. Best wishes to you.

    2. Oh I love that the Willy Wagtail is one of your totems. I will think of that every time I see my little friend now. Sending big hugs your way xx

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