Mot Mot Mates & Moments

Image of Mot Mot from this source

This morning I took my yoga mat and walked further down on the land where there is a trail leading between the trees near the sea. I placed the mat under a shady section and lay down. Looking up, I saw a mot mot perched on a branch, looking down at me. I've noticed that mot mots sit still for very long periods, unlike other birds.

In its calm demeanour I sensed inner confidence, and a solidity of knowing that it didn't have to rush around in life. Content to sit there for as long as it took to enjoy the breeze ... because life was taken care of. The longer I stared at it, I felt it say—be still, be patient, be silent.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up. At first I thought I was in my room and that it was early morning. Then I opened my eyes and realized that I was still under the tree, with the mot mot still looking at me from its perch, like a Guardian. It felt like hours later. Had I been asleep that long? Had the bird been sitting there that long?

Moments later a small hummingbird hovered above me and also perched on a branch above my mat. It stayed still surprisingly long for a hummingbird ... then something moved and both the hummingbird and mot mot flew from their branches. The mot mot, which now had a yellow leaf in its beak, flew to another branch and released the leaf, which spiraled to the ground.

As I raised my body to sitting position, the mot mot flew to another branch, to my right. It was quickly joined by another mot mot which sat next to it. Perfectly still, both of them, looking in front of them, content.

I got up to walk back up to the house and they stayed on their perch until I was feet away. Then they flew off together.