Thursday, October 10, 2024

Poetry Friday: Birdtober Day Eleven: Golden Swallow

Here are my Birdtober posts so far:

Last Poetry Friday was Day Four, and contains links to Days One to Three (Plush-crested Jay, American Robin, Mountain Bluebird, Giant Kingfisher)

Since last Poetry Friday:

Saturday: Eastern Plantain-Eater 

Sunday: Red-winged Blackbird 

Monday: Cardinals 

Tuesday: Black-headed Heron 

Wednesday: Gray Crowned-Crane 

Thursday: Speckled Mousebird 

 

Today I'm writing about the Golden Swallow, an island endemic. These birds used to be found on Jamaica, but not any more; they can only be seen on Hispaniola now, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. I've seen Golden Swallows - two of them - once. My husband and I were birding with an expert friend in Haiti. You can learn more about these beautiful birds here, on the Birds Caribbean site. And you can see the prompts I'm following (all three versions) at any of the Birdtober posts above.

 


 

Golden Swallow


Hispaniolan birds
Nesting in Hispaniolan Pines
In cavities drilled by Hispaniolan Woodpeckers.
This is the only place you can see
these particular flashes of green and gold,
these swooping, shining, iridescent
golden treasures.


©Ruth Bowen Hersey



Jama has today's roundup.


 

8 comments:

  1. Since they are so scarce, it's nice to see they have the woodpeckers helping them out, Ruth. I love that you've seen them! It's a lovely poem for remembering them!

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  2. Love learning about new-to-me birds and reading about your birding adventures, Ruth. Lovely poem!

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  3. Ruth, thank you for the educational poem about the beautiful Golden Swallow. I am so glad that you shared the video as well. I loved listening to the cheerful chatter of these gorgeous little birds.

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  4. The iridescence, yes -- but the SNOWY WHITE chest! Such adornment! I imagine seeing one of these in the wild produces a great SIGH!!

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  5. Ruth, thanks for the information about the golden swallow. The video had a sweet sound. You have been busy during Birdtober. Enjoy the rest of the month.

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  6. Golden treasures indeed! Thanks for this, Ruth.

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  7. Beautiful! And, now I can say I've seen one too--through your lens and your poetry.

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  8. Gorgeous iridescent feathers!

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