By Tom McCabe
The Screech Owl sings in the middle of the night
The Juncos are feeding at first light.
Goldfinches come—American and Lesser
I grab the binos from the dresser.
A Robin whinnies and a House Finch sings
Mourning Doves come and flutter their wings.
A Nuthatch calls as I head out the door
Bundled for the cold, but happy to the core.
Yellow-rumped Warbler greets me daily
Cedar Waxwings whisper gaily.
A Downy Woodpecker calls to me
I know it’s him though I cannot see.
At State Street the “Church Pigeons” sit on a cross
While a group of Crows decide who’s boss.
Magpies and Collared Doves make their noise
While Ruby Crowned Kinglets look like toys.
Then on to the river and the many water birds
They gather in numbers that look like herds.
Mallards and Wigeons and Gadwalls, oh my,
Plus both kinds of Mergansers, then a Heron flies by.
A Bald Eagle sits in a tree by the river,
Every time I see him it gives me a shiver.
The pleasure at showing him to any and all
Who wouldn’t have noticed him though he sits so tall.
I hear the Geese honk and the Kingfisher rattle
While down in the brush the Wren seems to tattle.
A Red-tail sits and surveys a field
Though often to a Kestrel he must yield.
The Wood Ducks are plenty and pretty as can be
And Common Goldeneye are a sight to see.
A Northern Pintail is an occasional star
And sometimes a Merlin appears from afar.
These are my friends that I look for each day
Though often when they see me, they fly away.
But I still keep biking and looking around
Hoping to find one that no one has found.
A daily quest that keeps me going
Although I never go out whenever it’s snowing.
It makes me happy in these crazy times,
Watching birds and making rhymes.