The Bird Thief by Rachel Keating

Author Rachel Keating shares a very personal blog with us today about her Grandad and the inspiration for The Bird Thief.

‘My favourite eldest Granddaughter.’ Didn’t matter if I was aged 6 or 36, if it was written on the back of a newspaper cutting about British songbirds sent in the post or spoken softly while wrapped in a big hug, that’s how my Grandad would greet me. And every time it would get the same genuine laugh, ‘because I’m your only eldest granddaughter!’ A fiercely affectionate man, his love for his family was just about the only thing that superseded his love for the natural world. He was so passionate about life on this planet it would have been impossible to not absorb it, and he instilled in me this same profound respect for nature.

It would manifest as quiet moments in his insanely beautiful garden handing me a peppery nasturtium flower to eat, or showing me a spider’s egg sac when moving the wheelbarrow, and it would also manifest as long and heartfelt rants about political failings or climate change or whale hunting or deforestation. Animals and their habitats were everything to him. The two of us shared a love of birds, goldfinches in particular, and his support and pride in my writing was as moving as it was motivational. Before he died a couple of years ago he gave me his treasured binoculars. Although not my only inspiration in writing The Bird Thief, I feel this connection to nature runs through my veins as much as the blood cells, DNA and chocolate that flows there.

Woodland is my happy place, and while the inspiration of the forest can be clearly seen in The Bird Thief, being outdoors and experiencing the elements is so galvansing to the actual process of writing too. This is something that I’m sure most writers would agree with – no matter the setting of the story, there’s nothing like getting up and outside to resolve a stubborn plot point or a character crisis.

For me, being amongst trees and wildlife not only makes me feel comfortable in my own skin, which is kind of a rare feeling, it heightens all my senses and makes me feel exhilarated. It’s no surprise that most of my ideas come in this environment.

Conversely too, the natural world helps to calm me. The Cognitive Behavioural Therapy I received a few years ago for my OCD helped hugely, the practical exercises and the gradual exposure to my fears was monumental. My prescription also helps keep things balanced. However when I’m tired or feeling stressed the intrusive thoughts and behaviours creep back in, I can feel them building and recognise them for what they are now – and I get outside! Walking in the woods on my own (always staying safe and usually with my four-legged companion!) strangely helps me to feel less alone. The birdsong, the ants, the berries, the ivy trailing up the trees. The mushrooms – visible fruits of the impressive underground mycorrhizal network which fascinates me… I feel how all the different species are connected, the ecosystems and the symbiosis of nature calms me. I think gaining that perspective helps me to get out of my own head when I need to!