Poem: "Birdfeeding"
This poem is spillover from the December 6, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from Dreamwidth user Wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "Seeds" square in my 12-1-22 card for the Wonders of Nature Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette.
"Birdfeeding"
The feeders
hang in the trees
and jut from the ground:
thistle socks and hopper feeder,
the metal tray with its umbrella,
suet cages and fly-through feeder.
Every time the house door opens,
the birds fly away to nearby bushes
where they lurk, watching the feeders
to see whether new food will appear.
Then the sparrows descend in all of
their numbers, flapping and squabbling.
The colder it gets, though, the less
they fight over the feeders in favor of
stuffing their faces as fast as they can.
Most days are only one-bird cold or
two bird cold, full of fussing and pecking.
Some days are three-bird cold, when
icicles hang glittering from the feeders.
When it's four-bird cold, they all
huddle together in balls of fluff,
sharing what heat they can.
House finches and goldfinches
come too, clinging to thistle socks.
Cardinals make scarlet spots
against the white snow, like
red paint on a clean canvas.
They like the fly-through feeder,
and so do the mourning doves.
Downy woodpeckers come
to the suet feeders and
the hopper feeder alike.
A red-bellied woodpecker
makes occasional appearances.
Dark-eyed juncos are snowbirds,
with sooty backs and white bellies,
who like to scratch for spilled seed
in the slush under the birdfeeders.
Then the mourning doves strut
through their little flock, sending
the juncos scattering out of their way.
Squirrels raid the hopper feeder for
sunflower seeds, hanging upside-down
to reach into it, and sometimes they
sit inside the fly-through feeder.
They cling to the corncobs
hanging whole from a branch,
pulling loose one kernel at a time
then sitting up to chew it thoughtfully.
Now and then, a hawk or an owl
perches in a nearby tree, watching
for an opportunity to swoop down.
Underneath the trees they leave
pellets filled with tiny, delicate bones.
The squirrels watch them right back,
chattering and lashing their tails.
Some days, after a fresh snowfall,
there are pheasant tracks across
the yard and under the feeders,
leaving their silent evidence
of pheasants never seen,
hidden, yet still present.
* * *
Notes:
Illinois birds and squirrels are easy to attract.
Different types of birdfeeders provide different types of food to entice a wide range of birds and other wildlife.
"Birdfeeding"
The feeders
hang in the trees
and jut from the ground:
thistle socks and hopper feeder,
the metal tray with its umbrella,
suet cages and fly-through feeder.
Every time the house door opens,
the birds fly away to nearby bushes
where they lurk, watching the feeders
to see whether new food will appear.
Then the sparrows descend in all of
their numbers, flapping and squabbling.
The colder it gets, though, the less
they fight over the feeders in favor of
stuffing their faces as fast as they can.
Most days are only one-bird cold or
two bird cold, full of fussing and pecking.
Some days are three-bird cold, when
icicles hang glittering from the feeders.
When it's four-bird cold, they all
huddle together in balls of fluff,
sharing what heat they can.
House finches and goldfinches
come too, clinging to thistle socks.
Cardinals make scarlet spots
against the white snow, like
red paint on a clean canvas.
They like the fly-through feeder,
and so do the mourning doves.
Downy woodpeckers come
to the suet feeders and
the hopper feeder alike.
A red-bellied woodpecker
makes occasional appearances.
Dark-eyed juncos are snowbirds,
with sooty backs and white bellies,
who like to scratch for spilled seed
in the slush under the birdfeeders.
Then the mourning doves strut
through their little flock, sending
the juncos scattering out of their way.
Squirrels raid the hopper feeder for
sunflower seeds, hanging upside-down
to reach into it, and sometimes they
sit inside the fly-through feeder.
They cling to the corncobs
hanging whole from a branch,
pulling loose one kernel at a time
then sitting up to chew it thoughtfully.
Now and then, a hawk or an owl
perches in a nearby tree, watching
for an opportunity to swoop down.
Underneath the trees they leave
pellets filled with tiny, delicate bones.
The squirrels watch them right back,
chattering and lashing their tails.
Some days, after a fresh snowfall,
there are pheasant tracks across
the yard and under the feeders,
leaving their silent evidence
of pheasants never seen,
hidden, yet still present.
* * *
Notes:
Illinois birds and squirrels are easy to attract.
Different types of birdfeeders provide different types of food to entice a wide range of birds and other wildlife.