Yaffle

By Ed Crane

Thu, 03 Nov 2016
  • 1445 reads
6 comments
 

Too exotic for northern eyes you flash

your green with a mocking laugh leaving

us thinking flying Hyena. Papagai colours

defy when you hunt your formic prey

on tailored grass with butterfly tongue

and vision sharp as fresh chipped flint.

Holed up for winter you hope the snows

are not too deep and your hunting

ground not frozen to Tundra granite.

Certificate U
Poem
Nature

Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Ed,

just been over to youtube to check out this engaging bird. It seems to spend much of its time feeding on the grass which I never realised. You summed up nicely in this poem how they go about their daily buisness. Also love the way you describe their sharp vision: As fresh as sharp chipped flint.

Very much enjoyed reading and thank you for sharing.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

I heard one the other day while in the garden, which inspired this effort. They are beautiful birds and their plumage is much brighter than in any photograph. Generally you hear them more than see them. If you do, it's usually a glimpse of green shooting into the trees, but if you are lucky they will settle on your lawn and fish for ants.

 

Submitted by hudsonmoon on

Hi ya, Ed. Can't get those fling hyenas out of my head. Enjoyed reading this during coffee break. Thanks.

Rich

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Yeah they do sound a bit like they are laughing, that's how they got the name Yaffle. Beautiful birds, the first time I saw one I thought it was an escaped parrot.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Enjoyed the succinctness of this again, and the amount of research/work and thought gone into putting the info in. Liked the 'formic prey'! My husband often says he's heard the 'yaffle' when we're out walking, and I have to take more notice! The wonder of how some woodpeckers can hammer so hard is amazing too. Rhiannon

(Wasn't sure what Papagai colours meant)

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

wood, they apparently stick to soft or dead wood because they mainly hunt out ants nests. (Papagai is Dutch and also German for Parrot --- sorry but I couldn't resist it since I live in Belgium. Incedently the multicoloured crow aJay is know as a Vlaamsgai here.)