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A Calendar of Haiku - June
‘His [Yellowhammer] song is but a few bars repeated, yet it has a pleasing and soothing effect in the drowsy warmth of summer’.
Birds of a Southern County – Richard Jefferies
buttercup meadows lazy afternoon chasing dreams
The song of the yellowhammer has become embedded in our cultural memory ... and rural heritage as he sings, for his supper ... ‘a little bit of bread - and no c-h-e-e-s-e’ ... a mnemonic popularised by Enid Blyton in her nature and children’s books, of the late 1940s.
evensong ... yellowhammer sing into the night
And isn’t that Beethoven’s 5th, or is it his 4th (Piano Concerto) - drifting through the open window ...
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major
Tip
Play the recording of Yellowhammer (repeat if you wish) over the opening of the Piano Concerto to capture the feel of a lazy summer afternoon or evening in the meadows.
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The recording of Yellowhammer is used here under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. This and many more can be found at - Xeno-Canto
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The most obvious, and immediate, change (apart from the colour!), is the addition of a sticky comment icon (bubble) which pops up on the bottom left as you read a post. Clicking on it enables you to quickly and easily jump to the comment area, without having to scroll down to the bottom of the post before you can leave a comment.
Thank you Clive. The combination of buttercups with Beethoven’s divine summery 4th and the song of the Yellowhammer had an amazing effect on me at 3.30 awake this morning – divine dancing to welcome the month of June.
Me too Jane (well not exactly dancing). I go to bed when I can no longer see the shadowy shapes of our bats flying around the garden and wake with the morning light and birdsong of our Blackbird, Song Thrush and Robin. June is my Birth month – a month of bats and badgers and foxgloves and …
Brilliant Clive! What a combination, yellowhammer and Beethoven!
I thought so too Ashley!
A Barn Owl has just flown low over the garden. I thought I saw one last night but was indoors so only got a glimpse. Tonight he almost flew over my head. A rare sighting hereabouts!
You are lucky to see a Barn Owl. Here they are rather scarce these days!
This is only the third sighting we’ve had here in almost 30 years … I see them occasionally in nearby villages but we’ve always seemed a bit of a blind spot for them. Mind you they’re still not what you call common.
Over the last few years here I’ve been volunteering with the local wildlife trust to follow up Barn Owl sightings by the public but so far any of the sightings have been of Long eared Owls. Loss of field margins for voles and mice has had a big impact as well old barns and outbuildings being pulled down or updated. My surveys are usually done in July and August but this year I suppose they may not happen. I hope you celebrated your owl sighting!
Long eared Owl are scarce in Wales though I believe there is one area not too far from where we live that has a small breeding population. How lovely that they’re relatively common where you live. Hope you do get to do your survey.
This is sublime! I have always loved the yellowhammer’s call – memories of drowsy summery hours … And with the Beethoven it is idyllic. Thanks Clive!
Thanks Sandra – I’m taking my own advice – sitting here now with a chilled ginger beer listening to Beethoven and cueing the Yellowhammer now and again. All I need now is a good book …
Siskin continue to be regulars at the feeders. They are tiny and very tame – not bothered by me gardening only a few feet away! Definitely 3 and possibly 4 birds.
Wonderful, it works and for me no need for sneezes. This year I am in awe of all the different types of grasses here, as well as the flowers.
Yes it’s been a good year for all the spring flowers and meadow grasses. But the pollen count has been so high both from trees and grass – my wife has been a virtual prisoner in the house, not daring to go out! Now the weathers broken we may be in for a spell of rain, maybe that’ll calm things down.
I’m glad you enjoyed your virtual time in the meadow.
Oh dear, I feel for your wife as I suffer the same and it’s a bitter irony here too as have to keep in too. But I have discovered a weapon which is not so odd now, a mask! A friend made me one as very acceptable to have one here in the shops. I was sneezing on a walk and put it on. It worked…..
Thanks for the tip – we’ll try it out today!
WONDERFUL suggestion about playing the yellow hammer over the music…perfection! And yes I remember that Enid Blyton mnemomic so well! You’ve made my evening with all of these sensory treasures.
What a lovely comment – thank you Helen. It just seemed to work quite well. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.
A few Brandt’s bats out feeding again tonight, flying low over the garden beneath the Poplars lining the driveway,
I can imagine myself lying in the meadow with the buttercups glowing around me and that soothing song….
[…] The smell of new-mown meadow hay – the gentle clatter of an old ‘Little Grey Fergie’ working in the distance – daisy chains, dandelion clocks and buttercup chins – and the chime of the Church clock on the quarter hour from ‘tother side of the village green – meadows in my mind […]
There’s been a baby boom in the garden birds with fledgling Robin, Dunnock, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Great Spotted Woodpecker, and a first for the garden a fledgling Nuthatch. Adults also continue to visit including Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Siskin.