Birds and poetry

I am pleased to be part of the feature on birds and poetry in the current issue of Bird Watching magazine, and to be able to share how and why birds play a part in my poems. The feature illustrates some of the many ways that birds can inspire, or appear in, poetry. 

I'm not going to repeat what I said in the feature, but you can get some idea of my thoughts, if you want, from some of my earlier posts. Likewise, there are so many great poets who you could look to, if you wanted to see more bird poetry - see eg, my post, The poetry of birds - 30 March 2020. 

My own poems which feature birds vary enormously. Most typically, they are like the following poems, the first being the one in Bird Watching Magazine, the second published in Sarasvati, poetry magazine (Indigo Dreams Publishing) in 2018.

Common Redshank

I will call across the mudflat

and answer your call.

I will search with you along the tideline

and flicker-fly with you when the sea returns.

But sometimes I will stand alone

at the end of a groyne as the waves lap round

and just stare out to sea.

(untitled)

in chill morning sun

grass sparkles; banks of purple

lift above the sea;

oystercatcher's distant call:

remember this was the dream

Birds and poetry both play an important part in my life, so it's not surprising that they overlap at times. I hope that others will also find inspiration from birds or poetry, or maybe even both.