Sitting amongst the bushes, the Tits and Sparrows
await their turn on the fat balls
Dunnocks and a solitary Robin sweep the floor
whilst Blackbirds jostle the poor Black caps
like creatures now found in supermarkets
over penne pasta and hand sanitizer
The trees of the Stray close by
begin to sound like waves lapping over firm sands
temporarily inaccessible to us all
except the Gulls, who are also present here
stood laughing at the top our stack
A Heron angles in negotiating a huge conifer
landing unconvincingly on an outstretched weeping wire of birch
They be must be incredibly light I think….then it flies away
But then, he arrives strutting slowly towards the activity
stopping to call, puffing out purple plumage
a furious flapping ritual followed by flashing green/gold
He stays for hours, visiting most days
He’s very welcome here, Our Pheasant
One day, he is joined by a hen
shortly after arrival she leaps from the shed roof
like a long jump competitor landing close by, she walks past
He follows immediately to the bottom of the garden
time for a dust bath together