House Sparrow
Up on the bird box
You call. ‘House mate, house mate, see
My new house for thee.’
Chaffinch
She checks out the lawn
Among the starling flock she’s
A pale stripe in spots
Robin
Long-tailed Tit
In the willow; twigs
All bedecked with feather bows
Singing in the pink
Marsh Harrier
Harrier over reeds
Hunting warrior in bronze
Feathered armour
Gold wings in late sun
Struck from Thor’s hammer, bright streak
Of talons and beak
Starling Murmuration
Front row gathering
We wait for the performance
A winter ballet
Dusk orchestrates them
A wild weaving chorus line
Dancing wings as one
Sky whale! Sky whale! Swan!
Starlings flow shapes across sky
Nature’s movie show
Long-Tailed Tit
I pause for parcels
There! On the little oak tree
You chatter to me
On the sixth of January the starling flock flies out at dawn in minus six degrees centigrade and I notice pattern groups within the larger grid of flying birds.
Starling DRS
