Fieldfare

I'm in the middle of editing this. It's from the November poem a day challenge. The prompt was 'celebration' so I thought I'd show wildlife celebrating

FIELDFARE
See how he celebrates
the apple,
perches alongside of it,
honours it with a black, bulging eye,
stabs its sweetness,
savours the juice,
then stabs,
stabs some more,
piercing the yellow skin,
feasting on the melting flesh,
secretions coating his beak,
smothering him in homage
to the apple,
to life.

Long-eared Owl

LONG-EARED OWL
Marton Mere, Blackpool

Even in the after-shock of frost and fallen leaves,
even though we know they're there,
we need to ask a local birder
- and even he takes a while to point them out
amongst the willow, thorn and apple thicket,
And finally our scopes fine-tune a passage
through the tangled epidermis
to where they perch, like hearts in ribs,
where the frost has scarcely reached.
Each tucked close to the aorta of its tree,
each in plumped feathers
that copy the colours of bark in changing light,
each with ears folded down,
not even offering a frozen stare,
until the one in the apple tree,
the one most exposed,
lifts its ear tufts, unfreezes, glares
to agree the distance between it
and us. And us? All of us comply.

Another photo by David J Slater. Click to view it full sized. Don't forget to follow the link in the side bar to his site of beautiful images.

Field trip to Marton Mere

I went on a field trip with Chorley & District Natural History Society today. It was well worth defrosting the car at 7.30am on a Sunday morning because sightings included 5 Long-Eared Owls tucked well into an area dense with trees and thicket. (Poem on the way.) Many thanks to local birder, Frank Bird, who guided us to them.


Also there were wonderful views of a bittern preening itself in the sun by the water's edge while up in the trees fieldfare were digging their beaks into the plentiful apples. Again, many thanks to another unknown birder who pointed out the bittern and let us look through his scope while those in our group who had brought scopes were busy focusing theirs.
Thanks to Neil Southworth for organising the trip.

Many thanks to David J Slater of Coleford for these amazing photos. Click on them to see just how good they are. Don't forget to follow the link in the side bar to even more fantastic shots.

Waxwing melting into the distance

Having heard that waxwing have been seen in a local tree all week, I finally got some daylight time to go myself yesterday - no berries, no birds. I should have been there yesterday....

But not to worry, 40 were seen in Preston yesterday, so I went there today - to find only bare rowan stalks.... Ah well.

Thanks to Rick Spencer of Chorley NATS for this photo - he did get to the Chorley tree in time.

I wonder what the chances are of getting a mature rowan in the garden for Christmas...?

Another good review

from Graham Rippon of Carillon this time. Copy and paste the web address below.
http://bewritebooks.blogspot.com/2008/12/from-field-book-reviewed-by-graham.html

Common and Jack Snipe

Further to the recent jack snipe post, Bill Aspin has kindly sent me this photo.
The common snipe is on the left and the jack snipe on the right. Click on the image to enlarge - well worth it. Thanks Bill.
Check out Bill Aspin's Birding Blog by following the link.

Redwing - a poem of love

How do I combine the prompt 'a love poem' with my theme: birding in November? Well, here's my first attempt:

Redwing
They love these hedgerows,
weave themselves into them,
stain their underwings with them,
eat them, shit them, sleep them,
wrap themselves inside of them,
pull their thorns around them,
pluck their scarlet hearts,
warm them in their bellies,
squeeze them through their passages,
birth them,
desert them,
expect them to still be here
when they return next year.