Tuesday 1 November 2011

Any colour, so long as it's red.




Do birds see colour
as they fly overhead?
Do they see the bright berry
flaunting itself in the hedge?
Do they imagine the juicy,
sweetness of summer
encapsulated there?
Do they choose the brightest
and sweetest
and leave the rest?

Or is it
every bird for himself in this
Autumnal world,
where the leaves are falling
and the hedges baring?

Is there no thought at all for
winter housekeeping -
for days when food is scarce
and there are frugal pickings?

These hungry mouths
trawl the hedgerows
with no thought
for one another.

14 comments:

Reanaclaire said...

Very nice red too..
coming by for the first time...

Heather said...

Beautiful pictures to go with your beautiful words Pat.
I often think that the birds should save some food for harsher days, but maybe the fruits don't keep so they enjoy them while they are full of nutrients and fatten themselves up in order to cope with colder weather.

Gwil W said...

My semi-resident crow pair now come by on a daily basis for breakfast and lunch - they are fattening themselves with pieces of cheese rind and flavoured cat nibbles - perhaps it's the same with the birds of the hedgerow - they know lean times are on the way - maybe it's true that a prolific red berried autumn presages a harsh winter - we shall see - my overcaot waits on the hook.

angryparsnip said...

Very beautiful post today.
My Mum always had the most beautiful Pyracantha Bushes, loved by me and all the birds. It was my stand in for the Holly you have in the UK.
So I think the birds do see the red color. It must mean tasty food !

On another color thought, my dogs had the same chew toy in Yellow and Blue, they always picked the yellow toy.

cheers, parsnip

Crafty Green Poet said...

Lovely display of reds, I wonder what the birds think too...

Cloudia said...

your days fill us with joy too!


Aloha from Honolulu

Comfort Spiral

> < } } ( ° >

it's me said...

thoughts of birds and berries--so nicely written!

Bovey Belle said...

I dare say some are just passing through and have no thought for the deeper days of winter. What lovely photos and poetry. Thank you.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I do think birds can see color - and have a plan. Every year, robins, on their way up north, find the red berries buried on my nandina bushes. And afternoon feast can take out the winter's growth, providing fodder for the further trip north.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you for the comments.

Unknown said...

I've often wondered about this myself...it seems that they leave all the rose-hips and haws and instead devour the darker berries. Unless of course you have a cherry tree in your garden ;)

Dave King said...

Intriguing thoughts: I've always been fascinated by questions about how other creatures see the world. Do they see - more or less - as we do or does the world look very different? (Actually, the question should be: IS the world very different?)

The Weaver of Grass said...

Let us all hope that Gwil W's overcoat stays on the hook for a long time to come.

H said...

The blackbirds have begun to strip my pyrocantha again. Peck, swallow, peck, swallow, peck, swallow...

Love your description!