Introduction

Hi, welcome to BirdPoem. Despite the potentially misleading title this is a blog that is very much about birds.

The rate at which I fell for this subject surprised me. In a year, a passing ornithological curiosity has now become something that I care passionately about. I think about it every day and am aware of it wherever I go; to the post box down the road, to the local park or further afield.  And while it’s unlikely that I’ll start dancing about Feral Pigeons, I’d rather they be there than not. I find birds fascinating.

Here, through photographs and commentary, I hope to try and share news, thoughts and observations on the subject. I don’t imagine it will be confined simply to birds since there is a lot out there to get excited about (even in suburban South London!). I’m not an expert on birds either, so maybe I’ll get things wrong from time to time. But that’s ok because it’s part of the fun and if someone points it out, it’s a good way of learning.      

Thanks for reading.

“In wistfulness and envy, I gaze at them,
lamenting just how earthbound I live,
and sigh the poignant subjunctive
of our species: If only.”

(Diane Ackerman, ‘Of a Feather’, from ‘A Convergence of Birds’, Ed. J. Safran Foer)