Fats here.
Happy Friday! During an unplanned trip to Barnes & Noble last month, I came across a poetry collection by Susan Vande Griek and Mark Hoffman. Hawks Kettle, Puffins Wheel and Other Poems of Birds in Flight caught my eye in the children’s poetry display of B&N. With lyrical verses by Vande Griek and stunning illustrations by Mark Hoffman, this poetry collection is a celebration of the different ways that birds move through the air.
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As much as I love nature, I am not a “bird” person at all. I enjoy looking at them but I don’t know much about them. I’ve never gone bird-watching, although I know I should try it sometime. Anyway, the poem I chose from the collection was brought about by the word “murmurate.” I have also shared a photo and a video that I found online to illustrate this particular way of flying. Enjoy!
*Background image above courtesy of The Courier.
Starlings Murmurate
Murmurating starlings —
a starling murmuration —
hundreds, no, thousands
of wing-flapping birds
heard gathering at sunset
to roost, but first
flying close,
swooping together.
A dark, acrobatic
cloud of birds,
twisting, swirling
here, then there —
shape-shifting patterns in the air.
Gathering Books 
Beautiful! “Murmurate” is a great springboard for a poem.
I just bought a new bird feeder this morning, getting ready for the cold winter months. It’s fun to come home and see the birds fly off like a miniature version of those “acrobatics.”
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“Murmurate” is fascinating! If I buy my own house, it might be nice to have a bird feeder!
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