Welcome to Poetry Friday, everyone! I am excited and honored to host PF today for the first time. I’m crossing my fingers, eyes, and toes that the link up works!
This summer, I’ve been a tad bird obsessed. I’ve always been an ornithophile (it’s a thing!), but this summer I took my love of feathered friends to new heights. In July, I spent a week studying Citizen Science with 50 educators from around the U.S. at Cornell’s renowned Lab of Ornithology in the stunning Sapsucker Woods of Ithaca, NY. The BirdSleuth Educator Retreat was not only one of the best professional development opportunities I’ve explored, but it was personally fulfilling because I got to hang out with birds in their natural habitat and knowledgable bird nerds for a whole week. ‘Nuf said!
A week or so ago, I threw out a bird-related poem challenge to anyone willing to fly along. Poems can be about a particular bird, birds in general, a dislike or fear of birds, and can be in any form. Like I said at the time, just wing it! Here are two haiku that made their way to me over the last week or so, as I’ve enjoyed time reading, rocking, and observing on my porch.
And then these friends joined us.
Lastly, in a moment of sheer madness I embedded a Padlet of the bird-related poetry I’ve written over the last year or so. To read each poem, just click on the individual image. To go directly to my Padlet, click here.
Now it’s time to grab a bevvy of some sort, curl up, and get ready for some Poetry Friday magic!
Please click my frog friend below to link your Poetry Friday post or to just enjoy what others have to offer this week. Thanks, everyone!
Wondering and Wandering 
Wow, Christie! I feel like I’m birding with you, and we’re marveling together over the variety of birds and birdsong. A character in a book I was revising last night was a bird, and I was reading my Sibley Guide to birds trying to figure out whether or not a Rock Wren would be nocturnal…. such fun being a bird nerd. Glad I’m in good company. Are you back full-time or do you still have time to meet at Starbucks one day?
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Oh yes! Let’s meet up! I have a TCRWP class most of next week, but just until mid afternoon. Easy to zip over from Rt 30. Will DM you. 🙂
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My email is on my about page if that’s a better option. I have a wedding Sunday, but Monday or Tuesday afternoon could work.
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It works! I just posted my link. I like how Brenda writes that she feels like she’s birding with you….you really bring a reader to the birds. The first poem made me laugh…two COMPLETELY different ideas of empty. Ha! I love Ithaca so much. What fun to attend the institute. You have quite a collection of bird poems going. So fun. I didn’t notice just how many poems in February were about birds. Neat-o! Thanks for hosting this week. I combined your bird challenge with Diane Mayer’s LOC photo prompt with last week. Like you, I just couldn’t stop at one. Great post today.
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Yeah, Linda! Hooray for links that work. Can’t wait to see what you wrote. TWEET!
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Yay! I went ahead and posted my link. I’ve been excited about this bird-themed Poetry Friday ever since I first heard about it. Can’t wait to read what everyone has for us! Mine is about a bird in my yard and James Bond.
My link is here: https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2018/08/poetry-friday-birds-and-james-bond.html
Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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Welcome, Ruth. Thanks for joining us. This is exciting!
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Bird nerds….ha!!! 🤣
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Yup! Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer!
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Your PD time in Cornell sounds amazing! I’ve spent more than a few minutes watching their live feed bird cameras. How wonderful to be there IRL. Bird watching is simply addictive and I’m glad to know I’m in good company. I enjoyed all your poems, especially the reference to the rascally squirrel. I’ll be back to check out the padlet later. I’m so glad you included it! Also, hooray for working link ups and congrats on hosting your first Poetry Friday Roundup!
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Thanks, Molly. Big accomplishments for both of us!
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Love your feathered post Christie, your second haiku gave me a good laugh. I’ve been a bird fan for as long as I can remember, they never cease to fascinate me. I shared a poem about a shy bird that I’ve been watching for the last few weeks, but this morning I only heard him. Between you and me, we could create an entire encyclopedia of bird poems.Thanks for hosting and for the bird challenge!
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Thanks, Michelle! Three cheers for feathered (or winged) inspiration!
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Oh. My. Goodness! #PoetryFriday with wings! Your theme has grown feathers and full-fledged on its own. I will be dipping and diving into your nest of poems for some time, methinks. That third poem was super-sweet. (Impressed by your photos and poetry!) Thank-you!
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Also have to make mention of ‘Have You Seen?’ – which is delightful!
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Thanks, Kat!
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It’s all working just fine – you have done a wonderful job of your first PF hosting – and given us a challenge full of feathery joy. Thanks for hosting, and for sharing your gorgeous aviary of poems. Or perhaps it is a nest?
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Many thanks, Sally. This was loads of fun!
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Thanks for hosting today, Christie – and for sharing your ornithophilous poetry! 😉 As a nature lover (and a fellow who named his youngest daughter after a bird), I completely connect with the images you’ve created as well as the emotion behind them. Have a good weekend! (FYI, my post goes live right after midnight)
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Thanks for flying along, Matt!
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Thanks so much for hosting, Christie – first time out, and your poetic birding party looks to be a grand success! Love your birdie-enthusiasm, and I’m quite jealous about that retreat with the Cornell folks. How wonderful!
Thanks, too, for sharing your poems – I look forward to checking the rest out on your Padlet page. TWEET! :0)
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Thank you, Robyn. (perfect bird name, BTW!) What fun we are having!
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Thanks for the invitation, Christie! Your gallery of poetry was well-worth the sheer moment of madness. Brilliant in some many aspects. I see you wrote about a cardinal too. They are beautiful birds! Now I’m off to read some more.
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And here is my link:
https://runreadmom.wordpress.com/2018/08/16/poetry-friday-my-sign/
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I absolutely adore cardinals, Amy. I have a Sir and Lady Cardinal that visit me every day!
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What a fabulous collection of bird poems! I laughed at your second haiku–those squirrels do like to raid the feeders. At least they provide some entertainment when they do so–especially if you dangle some ears of corn on a bungee cord. Yes, I might have done that. Your experience at Ithaca sounds amazing! I did take you up on your challenge–thank you–by writing about some chicks I found over at the Library of Congress!
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Such lovely bird poems! Thank you for sharing them and for hosting this week’s round up.
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I’ll be back later to read through your padlet! Birds are truly a gift to us all.
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Christie, I am joining you in the drinking glass challenge since it is so hot here on Long Island that mosquitoes keep looking for a water source and unfortunately they mistakenly land on me or inside my house. Since I do not have hummingbird sightings by me I am soaking in the goodness of your poem (#2).I am coming back tomorrow to read through your Padlet. You made a fine host tonight so now you can relax and read through the bird-related poems that come your way.
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Thanks for hosting Christie. Everybody knows that the bird is the word! So, here is a hastily composed bird word poem…
A little bird sat on a thistle
It stuck in his bottom
And made him whistle
I further notice that I am not the only poster experiencing ‘VIVID’ thoughts this week. It feeds my curiosity.
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Thank you for the challenge! I really enjoyed reading through your Padlet. When we lived in Utah, my husband got me a nice pair of binoculars that I could use no the mountain to scout for deer and elk. Now that we have moved to Florida, they have become my birding binoculars. And we have a ton of them! I’d love to start learning how to identify them all! Thanks for hosting.
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Making a padlet is such a cool idea! And how great that you’ve already written so many bird poems! Thanks for hosting us with such panache, Christie. 🙂
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Thank you for hosting today, and for this terrific challenge. I’m a little envious of your time at Cornell. Their BirdSleuth Retreat is going on my list of things to do next summer! You know I love all of your bird poems. The image of that hummingbird family’s “drinking dance” is wonderful. And how smart you are to gather all your bird-related poems on a Padlet! Enjoy your last few days of summer, and happy bird-watching!
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Thanks for hosting! Hello to the birds and the bloggers alike!
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Thanks for doing the roundup this week! Sorry…I don’t have any poems to share about our fine feathered friends. I do have two mask poems about zebras. Enjoyed your hummingbird poem. Saw a hummingbird sipping nectar from the plants on our back deck yesterday morning. Have a great weekend!!!
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Christie: Loved this post, birds being one of my loves as well… and I’m so glad you took up the challenge of blog and padlet. I hope to get to that one day myself. I am completely jealous of your week at Cornell’s woods, but I did get my own week in the woods in the Adirondacks this year. We had a pair of loons with two babies, and I’ve been working on a loon poems. Let me know if I might share one with you sometime. In the meantime, I wish you poetic flight.
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How lovely to be immersed in such flights of fancy! I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s poems, wish I’d done this earlier.
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“I took my love of feathered friends to new heights.” Love! How happy I am for you and for the other educators who got to meet you this summer! Thank you for hosting this beautiful “drinking dance” of poetry, for wooing me back to this beautiful community. Hug. xx
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Look at you and all your bird poems! I believe you need to consider making a book of bird poems. I love how observant you are and how each poem takes us to the place with you, watching. Thanks for hosting.
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Christie! Appreciations for your avian aria today & for hosting.
Citizen Science, Cornell Ornithology Lab & also a word new to me ornithophile – I glom onto all of this greatness.
And I look forward to flying back to nest in your padlet & with everyone’s connections to this flitter world you’ve woven. I love your hummingbird poem & especially the last line “joining the drinking dance.”
At my perch, Bookseedstudio, three creative poem pals contributed
original light verse
on a them that unfortunately hits close to home for me.
Everyone is invited to visit & even return with a contribution, either copied out
or original on a broad theme of the body wonderful or the specific theme
limned at that page.
In case I’m all claws at the link up window,
my url is https://bookseedstudio.wordpress.com
More beaks dipped in thanks, to you, Christine.
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Thanks for hosting, Christie–no wing- or toe-crossing needed! I’m so happy your birdcentered PD was delightful. I have trumpet vine right outside my back door around my patio, and every time the hummingbirds come I’m astonished–I never saw any growing up in Richmond, VA. I will indeed now wing it:
your humming is not
for me to hear; it hangs
vibrating in the air
before my very eyes
I’ll be thinking of you as I organize this year’s Early Bird Garden Club at school!
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