About
Hello, thanks for dropping by. I’m Clive by the way, sometime philosopher, thinker, dreamer, birdwatcher, poet, and occasional writer. Living and writing in beautiful North Wales.
still waters a fish jumps ... through my reflection
I like to think of this as my signature haiku. Written only a couple of years ago, but about a day in my early teens (way way back!), watching birds on a small private lake in Somerset; in pensive mood. My memory as clear today as the lake was then ...
in between then and now a moment
But mostly I write and blog about, well about birds.
distant hills across the vale skylark sing
I share my passion for birds with Richard Jefferies, a constant companion, and inspiration; many of my haiku are inspired by, found in, or derived from his writings and essays - his prose reimagined.
I’m a regular contributor to the Wales Haiku Journal edited by award winning haiku poet, Paul Chambers, and published in partnership with the Wales Arts Review. Here are some of my latest.
coot skitter
among lily pads
summer rain
chough tumble
down the quarry face
rain turns to sleet
(Wales Haiku Journal Autumn 2020)
Some of my haiku (mostly one-liners) also feature in recent issues of Hedgerow - a quarterly short-poetry journal; Presence - Britain's leading independent haiku journal; and The Bloo Outlier Journal - an exciting new on-line journal.
harvest moon hidden by clouds a flock of plover
Hedgerow (#133)
sunshine filling every room the cuckoo’s call
Presence (issue: 68)
frosty morning scrumping apples redwing in the garden
The Bloo Outlier Journal #1 Winter
If you enjoyed these haiku and have a Kindle (or similar) then you can download more here - ‘Feathered Skies’. Published by Proletaria, as an eChapbook (PDF); it’s free - so go on!
So come, find a comfy chair and join me, if you will, as I ramble through the year, in a celebration of birds - in art and anecdote, poetry and prose ... My latest thoughts, poems and other scribblings can be found in my Blog here: Blog Posts. And please don’t be shy on leaving a comment - I’d love to hear from you ...
Artist Credit
The featured image is from an original watercolour of Cranborne Chase by Philip L Eden, member of the British Watercolour Society (1924)
So tell me about your patch …
My patch is not far from Polperro! But rural rather than coastal. Very quiet, very peaceful. Plenty of birdlife. Generally nothing out of the ordinary although last year I was almost convinced that I hear a nightingale. I was prepared for it this year but sadly, nothing. I’ve not heard the green woodpeckers for a year or two. I’m hoping this year they will be back.
Thank you for the like and comment Sandra. It’s a lovely area isn’t it, rich in history as well as wildlife. I used to live near Calstock, and my Sister lives in Polperro so I shall especially enjoy reading about your own special corner of it.
Rich indeed, Clive. Your own area equally so, I think 🙂
Take a moment and share your own special encounters with birds …
My blog has just passed 20,000 hits – thank you to all those who have visited, liked and followed, with special thanks to those who have taken a deeper interest and commented my seasonal ramblings.
The idea for the blog was first born in the mid ‘60s – when I first started writing a journal about my birdwatching adventures. But I wanted it to be more than just a written record. I wanted it to be interactive …
I was inspired by the then Thorburn Museum at Dobwalls in Cornwall. Here many of Thorburns paintings were displayed as a series of ‘see, hear, touch, feel, smell’ cameos of the artist’s life and the scenes that inspired his pictures – his dealer’s shop in Jermyn St (noises of Edwardian traffic off, cobbled street to suggest history to blind people); his home near Godalming, with figures of Thorburn asleep by the fire and at work in his studio, and his garden; and a Scottish grouse moor (air conditioning simulates wind in your hair and wafts the smell of heather) with stuffed grouse lurking amidst rocks and heather.
Could I write something as evocative …
Hooray Hurrah – I’ve finally found the book about Bee-eater – it’s Malcolm Saville’s ‘The Fourth Key’ (1957)
From the book:
When Mr. Walters put the glasses down he was wildly excited.
“I have amazing news for you – and indeed for every bird-lover in the country,” he whispered. “As I suspected, the birds you saw and which I have been watching for fifteen minutes are bee-eaters. I believe there are at least three couples and they are nesting at the end of the tunnels made by sand-martins in the sandy cliff below us. Bee-eaters rarely come to Britain because our summers are often cold and wet. They breed on the sunny coats of the Mediterranean.”.
And, like many of his stories, this one had a basis in fact.
For Saville describes in his foreword how three friends came across bee-eaters “a mile or two from the South Downs” in Sussex at the end of July 1955:
It was hard to keep the birds from being worried by enthusiastic bird-watchers during the next few weeks, and the although the secret was fairly well kept volunteers helped to keep curious crowds away from the nesting-sites until the baby birds had flown.
Leonard Malcolm Saville (1901-1982) was an English author born in Hastings, Sussex. He is best known for the Lone Pine series of children’s books, many of which are set in Shropshire. His work emphasises location, and the books including many vivid descriptions of English countryside, villages and sometimes towns.
I thought your description of the book sounded familiar! I am so pleased you have found it again. Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for the follow. I will be following you, too. I haven’t had very much time for blogging during the past couple of years but I always hope to do better….
Thanks Clare, for the comment and follow. Finding the book again was amazing. It didn’t help that there was no reference to Bee-eater in the title!
I’m liking your blog. Thank you!
I’m glad you like it Cynthia – it’s heartening to get likes and comments. So thank you. I did read some of your blog posts yesterday – will try and catch up with some more later.
Hello Clive. You’ve recently liked my local patch blog about Hut Wood in Hampshire, so I read yours. Fascinating. Thanks very much. Ornitheology is a lovely word
Thanks Martin for your like and comment. I’ve been following your patch blog for a while now – I enjoy your rambles and walks very much – it’s great to hear about another corner of of our beautiful country. Would you mind if I added this as a ‘featured’ blog on my site?
Gosh – not at all. I may have been writing for a while, but I have no clue about networking and spreading the word etc. Thanks
What a lovely blog you have here. I’m Marie Elena from Poetic Bloomings with Walt Wojtanik. My personal little site is pictured words, which I see you have kindly visited as well. Thank you!
Like you, I’m a lover of poetry, and of birds. I used to live on Audobon Lane in Poland Ohio. The street was appropriately named. The variety of birds was astounding. My husband and I have feeders where we currently live in northwest Ohio. Our area is well known for being a significant migratory path.
I was trying to figure out how to follow your blog. I hope the “subscribe” button is the correct way. If I have obviously chosen the wrong way, please let me know.
Thank you, and I look forward to sharing words at Poetic Bloomings!
Hello and welcome to my blog Marie.
Unfortunately WordPress(.org) hosted sites do not have a WordPress ‘follow’ feature. I have now added a subscription form to the bottom of the sidebar below ‘blog stats’. If you care to add your email address here then you will be notified of all new posts.
I hope this helps. I too look forward to sharing poetic words.
Hello Clive, I’m so glad that you came across my blog – it has meant that I’ve discovered yours! I’m going to enjoy it here 🙂 I’m looking forward to reading more as time allows.
Hello Sandra, I didn’t see this comment until I’d replied to your other. Thank you – I shall enjoy reading your blog. Do have a look around my blog, when you have a moment, while mostly about birds I have written an essay on Polperro and another on Talland …
I certainly will, Clive. I had noticed the Polperro piece (yet to read it) but not the Talland one. Talland is closer to us than Polperro though Lansallos is our nearest beach. (I have at least one post on both somewhere on my blog 🙂 )
I will certainly look for those, Sandra.
I’m rewriting my essay on Talland so it may be hidden from view. It’s all about the lost Frescoes of the Church at Talland. I shall be posting an abridged version around Halloween. I’ll post a link for a sneak preview if you’d like.
I haven’t had an opportunity to look yet, Clive, so it may well be there. If not, I shall look forward to it around Halloween. (When sunshine, Wimbledon and gardening are no longer competing for blogging time!)
I’m enjoying your wanderings and their sounds so much.
I’m enjoying your wanderings and their sounds so much. Unfortunately I’m finding it difficult to leave a comment or even a like!
Hi Jane great to hear from you. I’m glad your liking my ramblings. I’ll be including more bird songs with future posts. Sorry you seem to be having so much trouble – I too have trouble with some sites and have to go through the WordPress admin panel to leave a like or comment – I don’t know if that’s of any help. ☺️
Hi Clive, Hope everything is well with you. Thank you so much for visiting and liking my short story on the Terror House Magazine.
Thanks for your likes and comment Padmini. I was fascinated and drawn in to your story. Not my usual reading matter. Intriguing stuff. Thank you!