White Throated Sparrow and Moon Flower Vines, climate endangered, WIP, Michelle Kogan, © 2020, Watercolor and watercolor pencil
Happy Poetry Friday and Happy National Poetry Month!
For National Poetry Month, I’m going to be focusing on nature and climate endangered birds, with poems and art. I’m following birds that Audubon has categorized as climate endangered or climate threatened, I’ll post as often as I can. This lovely White Throated Sparrow has found a home in a painting I began last August, nested in my backyard Moon Flower vine. Happy poetry writing to all!
WHISTLING WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
Climate Endangered
I’m a White-throated sparrow,
regal gem, feathered friend,
with yellow brushstrokes
beside each eye.
My dapper crown holds dashing
white or tan stripes, and I’ve
a fan-shaped white throat.
Listen… and you’ll hear
my lovely whistling, trilling song,
as it echoes softly,
up and
down,
up and
down,
and slowly sails away…
© 2020 Michelle Kogan
Here’s a link from The Cornell Lab where you can hear and view this lovely bird…
Stop by Jama Rattigin’s blog, Jama’s Alphabet Soup. She’s collected a bevy of Poetry posts you can visit throughout the month celebrating National Poetry Month! Also visit the Academy of American Poets for another rich selection of Poetry potpourri.
Heidi at her blog my juicy little universe, is hosting this weeks Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks Heidi! She’s offering us lots of inspiration… with a wonderful poem by Billy Collin’s reflecting back in time, and a sheltering poem by Hilda Doolittle, make sure to stop by!
Visit Renée LaTulippe’s site No Water River to find out more about what Poetry Friday is.
Wishing all to be safe and well.
Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting, & Writing 
Love that you included “yellow brush strokes” in your descriptive poem, Michelle. Your painting is a delight, like always, and I loved hearing this little sparrow tweet “oh Canada, Canada”. Thanks for a bright spot of a post.
Thanks Linda, glad it’s bringing some sunshine 🌞 your way—boy do we need it!
Your lines, Michelle, “up and
down,
up and
down,
and slowly sails away…” is exactly how this feathered friend sounds! Love your painting as well. : )
Thanks Bridget, they have such a lovely song—I hope we can help them!
This is such a lovely poem and painting. I’m pretty sure it’s not the same sparrow, but a Little Brown Bird (LBB) of some sort is entertaining us today by perching on the wreath on the front door and singing at full throttle.
What a pretty bird! I’ve never seen a white throated sparrow in person. Thank you for bringing attention to climate endangered birds this month. Wonderful project!
I’ve been going on walks in agricultural areas for the last little while and have marvelled at all the birds I see. I’ve been thinking that I need to get one of those identifying apps and today, reading this, I’m determined to download an identifying app. I wonder what one is best?
Thanks so much for this. Stay safe.
This is such a wonderful project, and I am sure I will learn much! “Yellow brushstrokes and dapper crown” are perfect word choices. Thank you for the link to hear that regal gem’s song.
Michelle, I love your choice of poetry project! Like others have mentioned “yellow brushstrokes” is a perfect image. Thank you for this. I’ll be following your project! Stay well.
What a lovely, lovely ending! This project is perfect for your painting too.
You have exquisitely linked poetry,art and environment in your post, drawing attention to endangered species, thus performing an important task. Thank you Michelle for your various contributions here. Love the words- ‘regal gem, feathered friend.’ Best wishes for your April quest.
Michelle, this is just beautiful. I like your free verse a LOT! And the painting is exquisite–no surprise there. I also felt your “I’ll post as often as I can.” Yep. We are creating as we can. Have fun!
This is a wonderful project, Michelle! So glad you’ll be bringing attention to these endangered birds. It will be enchanting to watch them “come alive” in art and poetry. I can hear that trilling song sailing away….
Thank you for making sure we don’t forget the endangered species!
Thank you! What a beautiful song this bird has! I love your painting and poem too. “Yellow brushstrokes” is perfect. I have been doing a lot of pandemic birding, and really enjoying it. Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Dapper crown indeed. Thank you for bringing him to life in words and art.
I love this idea for a project–I do enjoy birds, and I know some, but I’m sure I will learn a LOT from your focus this month. And of course it’s always a treat to have paintings to go with poems! “my fan-shaped white throat” is sticking with me. What is the climate-endangerment exactly, I wonder?