A husky rolling warble sound Then a sharp chi-chi-tik chi-tik I peek from behind twitched curtains A snow bunting salutes my peek The background chi-tiks of her peers Seem to encourage her to bide So li'l snow bunting holds my gaze And I open the window wide She curtsies before entering My small, unassuming abode And circles once and with keen eye A nest of spiders — soon she's found Promptly she flies, same as she came Her abruptness colors me dazed I wave goodbye, searching the sky No more ivory Queen Anne's lace Eddies of wind twirl with white dust Cheeks puff out, and my brows prick up I watch a ghost-cloud lunge & lift Soon it'll snow! I start to hiccup. © 2023 selmamartin.com
Snow Bunting (Yuki-hoojiro)
The Snow Bunting arrives in Hokkaido as a winter bird, and numbers vary considerably
yearly. They’re normally first seen around November and stay until about the end of
March.
During the winter, they move around over a large area and are rarely seen in the same
place two days in a row.
The Snow Bunting’s Japanese name literally means “white cheek,” and they belong to
the “White Cheek” genus (Hoojiro-zoku), but their silhouette is quite different from other members of this genus.
Both the winter and summer plumage is basically white, and its black wingtips stand
out when it flies.
In the *Okhotsk area, large flocks of several hundred to several thousand gather in
some years from mid-to-late March along the banks of Tofutsu Lake before they migrate
to the breeding grounds, and we can hear their calls.
Source: Birds of the Okhotsk region
The Sea of *Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, Japan's island of Hokkaido on the south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and north. Source: Wikipedia
I’m nowhere near the Sea of Okhotsk, but who’s to say I didn’t hear them outside
my window this morning? I didn’t actually see them; perhaps I only dreamt it, but
I heard their lovely chi-tik call.
And so, I rewrote a poem to include the white-cheeked snow bunting (Yuki-hoojiro) for you. I hope you like my attempt at one more winter warmth poem.
And then tonight, the temperature fell,
and wind gusts hit my area,
And guess what?
We got flurries.
So there, it wasn’t a dream, right?
Right!
- Wea’ve Written Weekly: W3 Prompt #106 - May 9, 2024
- A Reblog— Poetry Book Review: “Poetry Treasures 4” - May 8, 2024
- Share The Wealth: Joy is Our Natural State - May 6, 2024
Thank you for the knowledge and your lovely poetry!
The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for reading and tweeting. You are a gem. XoXo
A beautiful poem Selma
Thanks, Sadje. Stay warm.
Aaysid, I appreciate you saying. Blessings. Keep warm.
Thank you Selma. ❤️
This is beautiful!❤️
Beautiful 💖💫
Aww — thanks, D.A. 💗
You are most welcome
Lovely poem written. I like.
Thanks for saying. ❤️
Most welcome 🌷
Beautiful poem Selma. I never heard of the white-cheeked snow bunting (Yuki-hoojiro) before. You taught me something new today my friend. 🦅🦜🐦
So glad I did. Be warm my friend.
Thanks Selma and you too my dear! Hugs and smooches! 🤗💖😘
Gorgeous verses, enjoyed! 💓
Thanks. Tricia. Hope you’re warm.
💓
Exquisite poem, Selma! The photo and the information about the birds were delightful!
Glad you found this if value, dear Cheryl. Keep warm. Spring is closer than we know. XoXo
An amazing and beautiful post!
I’m delighted to hear you say so. Thanks so much, Barbara. Keep warm.
You did a fine job describing the scene. Beautiful imagery, Selma!
Michele Lee. Blessings.
I love the playfulness of your verse, and as you know I always like to learn about birds! (K)
K, I know you like birds. Yes 💕 glad you enjoyed this. Keep warm.
I love the vivid description that woke up all my senses! Lovely poem, Selma!
Woke up your senses. Precious to know this. Blessing you with warmth.
Beautiful poem and what an interesting animal.Never heard of it.
Yes, cute little things… thanks for reading and commenting, Belladonna. BTW, I just pulled 3 of your comments out of spam. Sorry ’bout that. So glad you visited. bless you.