Steinmätscher (Muddier of Stones)

In the mountains,

when the piste-bullen stop,

before the dynamo hum of lifts starts,

the birds sing in evergreens the snow hasn’t reached.

I might hear a

scarce-seen Wheatear whose name

was changed from white arse - no better than

its teutonic epithet, Der Steinmätscher,

the which might even mean "Muddier of stones".

And the dawn chorus might ring out though

winter is still chilling

the bones of life,

some birds stay, forget migration and instinct

to sing the song of loneliness

against the brightening

Austrian sky.

Footnote:
Any birdwatcher in Austria would be over the moon to see a Steinmätscher at any time of year, much less in winter, as they are quite rare in Germany and Austria.