silhouetted pigeons on tree branches

The chorus

Dusk and dawn the cynical
kookaburra steaks its turf.

All day, those angsty miners
keep up a rhythmic sqwauk.

The pigeons try
to self-soothe

and grunting turkey,
wattle heavy,
is rarely satisfied.

Afternoon, an occasional
crow cry falls with pathos.

A single sulfurous cockatoo
rides overhead, screaming.

Night-time, monotone tawny
honks me to sleep

till the melancholy koel
seeks rising love
from 2am.

Photo ‘The Birds’ by Catherin J Pascal Dunk © 2025

The noisy miners
The cockatoo
The koel


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