Friday, 6 April 2018

Seagulls after the storm


Gulls on the low field
Kite tail skips 'gainst a green sky
White triangles fly

Old sailor's sea legs
On dry land, stamping ground now
Gone earthworm fishing

Silver fields blossom
With seagulls after the storm
Garlands of gaggles

Tuesday, 16 January 2018

Herons and Swans

Herons

Still heron, woven
Into the weft of the reeds
Designs on small fish

Long neck poised, beak sharp
Black-flecked greybeard ruffles breeze
Eyes pierce the stream's heart

In the flooded field
Looking glass lake reflects his
Elegant attire

Five Swans

Five grey swans fly low
Wings lift the cold, lead sky up
Over the Levels





Wednesday, 8 November 2017

Wagtails and Starlings


Two Territorial Wagtails

Steam from frosty fence
Rises, as tempers flare hot
Wagtails flip the bird


Starlings at Dusk

Starlings spread a quilt
Of sunset gold, pink and blue
Murmuring the moon



Monday, 9 October 2017

Magpies

Four magpies, fighting
Tag teams of feathered fury
Tumble in the trees

Tuesday, 29 August 2017

Blackbirds and a Red Kite


The Blackbird

The hedge brambling bird
Quietly picks a path through
Tangled branch and fruit


On finding a blackbird, unexpectedly

Bright eye catches mine
Yellow-bladed beak and claw
Daggers drawn, retreat!


Red Kite

Caught in the willows 
A call hollows out the wind
Crying solitude




Saturday, 24 June 2017

Jackdaws



The Cherry Picker

Silver hooded stealth
Picks fruit just ripening red
Enough to eat, shoo!


Glastonbury Abbey

Above the old ruins
Rising in a slow spiral
Jackdaws dance at dusk

Jackdaws

Soft silvery hoods
Drawn high over hunched shoulders
Jackdaws call matins