Wednesday 4 December 2019

Winter Wren, Starlings and Garden Birds


Winter Wren

Among winter boughs
Little wren (walnut brown) bobs
Living netsuke


The Starlings Gather

A Starling garland
On power lines overhead
Decorating me!


Tits in the Garden

Count them; count them all
Each little bird a blessing
Blue, Coal, Long-tailed, Great

Thursday 3 October 2019

A buzzard and some swallows



The Buzzard Above

Circling high above
A slow Ferris wheel ride; free
In carnival skies

Soulful Autumn blues
A crisp air and slow tempo
Solo turn on stage

A singular truth:
To know the limitless sky
Wing and a prayer


Swallows along Cinnamon Lane

The lane (bursting ripe
Hedgerows laden with late fruit)
Is your flightpath home

Crane flies, mosquitoes
Wasps, fruit flies, midge and darter
Alfresco mixed grill…

A flash of summer!
Then two more; swallow wings dip
The deepening lane






Wednesday 5 June 2019

Crow at the supermarket


Squashed carpark cupcake
Now, dodging cars, Crow parties
Celebration sponge!


Hands in pockets all
Casual like; ‘Ere,’ he caws
‘Got any crumbs then?’

Thursday 9 May 2019

Falcon, wren and sparrows


Peregrine Falcon

Hawk-eyed, on the fence
Warily watching for food
Bird table sentry

Silent dawn chorus
Falcon glides emptyhanded
No song for supper

Wren

The wren on the fence
A little feather whistle
Blown away by wind

Sparrows

Good day! Good day! Hey!
Dapper in flat cap and tweed
Sparrows chat away
  
Under the rooftiles
A secret stash of treasure
Jack sparrow’s new nest








Friday 15 March 2019

Wales


Sixteen kites strung out
Above the black hills, hanging
On storm Gareth’s tail

Lone kite, a bright flag
Above the bracken field, keeps
Watch on the wild wind


The heron; stillness
Personified. Unmoving
Until camera clicks!

Grey heron lingers
Haunting the water margins
Hidden from my lens

Thursday 7 February 2019

Swans, Herons and Starlings


Two Swans

Wrapped in sheets of mist
Two swans sleep; waiting for snow
Winter’s white duvet

Two Herons

Mid-air pas de deux
A pair of herons dance by
Encore! Encore! More!

Two Thousand Starlings

Overhead, at dusk
Two thousand wings whispering
This way. This way home.


Tuesday 8 January 2019

January Birds


In the Orchard under the Tor

Gliding keen branches
Mustard, like late mistletoe
Green glimpsed woodpecker


On the bird table

Starling, stuttering
Over the abundant seeds
This! And this... and this?