Tag Archives: etheree
Australian Wood Duck
Another photo from my friends’ holiday in Australia.
Is it a duck or a goose? It seems to have features of both and its Latin name has been adjusted somewhat (from chen to anser?) to cover both features. Not sure about the Latin names, but there is definitely something goosey about this wood “duck.”
Hi,
My friends!
See me here?
I’m a wood duck,
Why am I called that?
No, I’m not made of wood,
I nest in tree cavities
Away from many predators,
My flightless ducklings leap from the tree,
When I call from the ground, they jump to me.
Day is Done
Lord,
Let me
Catch up on
My sleep tonight.
Up before sunrise,
I leave the sheltered bay,
Dragging trolling gear all day,
Trying to fill the boat with fish,
Standing on my feet from dawn ’til dark
To make a living for my family.
Shovelers
Folks!
May I
Introduce
The shovelers.
Their bills are special.
Wide with comb-like strainers
They sweep the water’s surface
Back and forth, swishing and slurping,
Straining out plankton and crustaceans,
Cleaning the water as they eat their lunch.
“Whadda ya say, Missus? Wanna go for a swim?”
“Naaaaah. I’m good. Just catchin’ a few rays.”
**Photo by friend, Sonia.
Look but Don’t Touch
A young puppy knows nothing about porcupines and the pain they can inflict just by being there.
Emma bounced around this one in a field, probably wondering why it didn’t either fly away or come out to play.
Ouch!
Needles.
Avoid them.
Time to back off.
Explore somewhere else.
Leave Mr. Porcupine
Or become a pin cushion.
Naivety comes with a price,
But, for once, listen to your elders.
Best not to indulge curiosity.
The Root Cellar
Perhaps it’s not quite like a fridge, but it was a cool place to store the potatoes, turnips, carrots, beets, and squash.
*Disclaimer – This is not my root cellar but it was on land where I was visiting. The poem is purely fictional (although probably possible).
“Go
Bring back
Potatoes,
Carrots, and squash.
The wicker basket
Is handy to carry
Everything.” — “But, Mom,” I whined,
“It’s so dark in there, and there’s bugs!”
“Nonsense! The bugs are more scared of you.”
Off I went … and of course, I proved her wrong.
Birdfeeders
wordsfromanneli 