SONG THRUSH
Today I saw my very first Song Thrush of the winter in the garden. I only just saw it, as it had been startled, making it quickly scurry under a bush. The Song Thrush has such beautiful spotty markings and colouring, I always think their paleness blends so well with the winter scenery, athough perhaps their brightness makes them easy prey to larger birds, would they be attacked by magpies or sparrowhawks? Song thrushes are sensitive to hard winter weather and winter territories are often abandoned during periods of severe weather, when many birds move southwards, even as far as north-west France and northern Spain. At present the Song Thrush is in decline, and is red listed as a bird of serious conservation concern. The cause appears to be a combination of lack of food and lack of nesting sites, brought about by intensive farming methods?
Like as the thrush in winter, when the skies
Are drear and dark, and all the woods are bare
Sings undismayed, till from his melodies
Odours of spring float through the frozen air
So in my heart when sorrows icy breath
Is bleak and bitter and its frost is strong
Leaps up, defiant of despair and death
A sunlit fountain of triumphant song
Sing on sweet singer until the violets come
And south winds blow, sing on prophetic bird
O if my lips, which are for ever dumb
Could sing to men what my sad heart has heard
Lifes darkest hour with songs of joy would ring
Lifes blackest frost would blossom into Spring
Edmond Holmes
5 comments:
oh what a lovely poem, the paintin is too, I love wildlife and painting them is passion of mine....
glad you liked the MLA picture I wish I could say it was my card but it's not, I got it from the web, I love to look at all the ones for sale, just nearly tempted sometimes, but too many fakes everywhere these days, anyway I think it reminds me of you Louise, thanks for poping by, we are just home from alovely dinner, a bit full to the brim but had aloveltime with hubby and my sister and crother in law.......
kath x
I love song thrushes and its tragic that they're declining in numbers. By the way and i hope you don't mind me saying, the song thrush in your sidebar looks like a redwing to me.... (it has red under the wing and a pronounced stripe above the eye)
It's funny that you posted this because we had a song thrush in the garden this weekend. The first in a long time. It was busy eating off the ground feeder when another one came along! I couldn't believe it and had to stop myself from jumping up and down and scaring it away! I'm hoping they will stay a while. They are very beautiful aren't they? I can't help but wonder where they've traveled from.
Thanks for visiting my blog! Funny what you said about the photo being from a reputable article about thrushes; of course redwings are thrushes too, and the more I look the more that bird is a redwing! They're lovely birds, lots of them round here at this time of year usually.
A member of my choir (The Whatcom Chorale in Bellingham, Washington in the US) has put this poem to music and we are singing it this December with the Whatcom symphony. I was searching it and found you!
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