LITTLE BIRD BRING US

Little bird bring us

Your sweet song

To woodland

And to meadow

Usher in another

Blessed summer

THE SWIFT

 

The familiar forked tail

And crescent wing

Of the agile Swift in sky

Performing aerobatics

Above the fields of gold

So pleasing to the eye

LONG TAILED LINNET

 

Long tailed Linnet

Sweet flying Finch

Trill and twitter

Your pleasant song

All Summer long

BIRD ON A REED

 

A reed moves

Under a bird’s meagre weight

The reed disturbs the calm water

Ripples echo outwards

Across the lake

Flat calm on a balmy eve

Each ripple expands out

And with each inch it grows

It stretches and diminishes

Until it is no more

Until another bird settles

On another reeds stem

GOOSED

 

The snow geese

In a massive flock

Take flight in unison

Filling the whole sky

Like clouds of white smoke

Billowing up from unseen fires

Rippling across the sky

As far as the eye can see

Almost blocking out the sun

So begins the migration

NIGHT OWL

 

The graceful owl

Hunts at twilight

And listens to hear

A victim in the night

Then swoops down

In silent flight

Not to prevent

Its prey taking fright

But fear of losing

What is out of sight

KING GEORGE’S PARAKEETS

 

It was unbearably hot

Unbearably humid

Even breathing was exhausting

Overcome with fatigue

I parked my jeep at the roadside

In a shaded spot

I recline my seat

And pulled my hat over my eyes

And tried to grab forty

My shirt was soaked with sweat

And stuck to me and the seat

It was no good I couldn’t sleep

It was the constant noise

But not from the traffic

Rumbling by

It was the birds

Squabbling parakeets

Hundreds of them

Chattering and squawking

I gave up trying to nap

And got back underway

You come to expect this

Next to an Australian highway

But not parked in a lay-by

Next to a reservoir in Staines

WHERE EAGLE’S DARE

 

Over mountains up on high

A lonely Eagle had to fly

For years he had been alone 

In the mountains on his own

Mostly he was a happy lad

But sometimes he got sad

So, decided to fly down below

For some “company” you know

 

It wasn’t a very long journey

Before he reached a leafy tree

Where he met a Tit called Tina

And there the Eagle had her

Then after he had had his way 

He bad farewell and flew away 

So, after the deed was done

And the Eagle had had his fun 

Tina said, “I am a little Tit

And I’ve had a little bit

And I liked it”

 

Over mountains up on high

A lonely Eagle had to fly

For years he had been alone 

In the mountains on his own

Mostly he was a happy lad

But sometimes he got sad

So, decided to fly down below

For some “company” you know

 

It wasn’t a very long journey

Before he reached a leafy tree

And he met a Dove called Daisy

Where the Eagle had her easily

Then after he had had his way 

He bad farewell and flew away 

So, after the deed was done

And the Eagle had had his fun 

Daisy Said, “I am a little dove

And I’ve had a little love

And I liked it”

 

Over mountains up on high

A lonely Eagle had to fly

For years he had been alone 

In the mountains on his own

Mostly he was a happy lad

But sometimes he got sad

So, decided to fly down below

For some “company” you know

 

Its journey wasn’t very harsh

And soon he reached a marsh

Where the met a Duck called Jo

And the Eagle had her just so

Then after he had had his way 

He bad farewell and flew away 

So, after the deed was done

And the eagle had had his fun 

Jo said, “I am a little Drake

And he made a big mistake

But I liked it”