18 June: There’s a Squirrel in the Birdbath

drawing of a European robin perched on the fence.

Day 18: Create a observation log of a specific species
of bird that you have been monitoring throughout the challenge.

There’s a Squirrel in the Birdbath

A robin flies into the window,
makes a sound.
It’s nowhere to be seen.

When a pigeon does that,
there’s flapping and crashing,
you’d think an assassin got at it.

There’s a nest in the grapevine
with chicks.

They weep and sing
like Adam’s children.

A grey squirrel’s
in the birdbath. A pigeon joins in.

The robin has returned.
A silhouette on the fence
with winged insects in its beak.

It twitters a funnel of music
into my ear.

The nest belongs to the robin.

The garden has taken on
a peculiarly morbid theme.
Shifting shadows in the roses.

The robin watches
the beans and peas ebbing away.
Browns and siena.

The odds aren’t on rain soon.


Written for the Wildness Challenge, Day 18. Create a detailed observation log of a specific species of bird that you have been monitoring throughout the challenge. Artwork is created using Midjourney. Imagery and poems ©Misky 2023.

14 responses to “18 June: There’s a Squirrel in the Birdbath”

  1. Attuned to Nature… as only one who humbly participates in her wonders can ink.

    Sending the petrichor from 3 days of rain 🌱

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Love that scent. It should be bottled.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. It’s amazing what you see, just by looking!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. For some reason, I really like the lines “they weep and sing / like Adam’s children”. Lovely observations.

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    1. I might make a habit of these observations and keep a notebook – use it for short-form stuff, or couplets.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Jane Dougherty avatar
    Jane Dougherty

    There’s a different dynamic in a garden, more of a rubbing along with one another than you get in a natural setting. Yet the birds manage communal living better than we do.

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    1. That’s the absolutely truth!

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  5. Always a lovely image to go with evocative poetry. I, too, like “weeping like Adam’s children.” Before my home burned to the ground, the squirrels would love to splash about in the bird baths. 🙂 https://rolandyeomans.blogspot.com/2023/06/death-hides-behind-every-mans-eyelids.html

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    1. I’ve never seen a squirrel in the birdbath before!

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      1. It gets awfully hot here in southwest Louisiana! I almost melted today doing my blood runs!

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