Ode to Bird Watching
~ Pablo Neruda
Now
Let's look for birds!
The tall iron branches
in the forest,
The dense
fertility on the ground.
The world
is wet.
A dewdrop or raindrop
shines,
a diminutive star
among the leaves.
The morning time
mother earth
is cool.
The air
is like a river
which shakes
the silence.
It smells of rosemary,
of space
and roots.
Overhead,
a crazy song.
It's a bird.
A little while ago, we trekked off to the Jerrabomberra Wetlands to investigate the walks and bird-watching huts. There's a bit of re-vitalisation work going on to remove willow from the waterways which is not so attractive, but there is also a charming bike path connecting the suburbs of Russell to Kingston which threads its way though prettier sections. It turned into a scout's adventure. We did spot a few birds but, alack and alas, we did not have our copy of John Gould's Birds of Australia and cannot recall what they were.
I'm on a mission to take the children on similar exploratory ganders around Canberra especially now that the weather is warmer and the days longer. Just an occasional short walk beyond our usual orbit to make us appreciate how much open space we have in the Bush Capital. I'm inspired by Tim the Yowie Man who writes a highly informative column about local places roundabout these here parts in the Panorama magazine which falls out of the Saturday edition of The Canberra Times. He also tweets. Heh, like a bird (sorry). We also admire his hat. Check him out and get walking.
