Of Winter Boughs and Shadows

No two alike. Stark
beauty on green moss and gray
pavement. Gift from sun.

~dkm 224/365

i Might Have Missed Them

A single footfall
sent them swirling on a puff
Downy, rusty-tipped

No sign of the breast
they once kept warm, if it was
a breast. Whose was it?

~dkm 223/365

Twice He's Come to the Yard

Urban wilderness
across the back fence. Is this
where the red fox lives?

~dkm 222/365

Remembering Oct 26th on Feb 26th

First day home we asked
her what she needed. She said,
"I want the Mitters."

~dkm 221/365

Daffodils Uncovered

I live with a more
tender-hearted gardener
than I am hearted

I wanted to see
how they'd manage themselves, but
he gave them a hand

Already too late?
Lime green. Not enough sun for
photosynthesis

~dkm 220/365

Stay tuned to see if they bloom

Persistence of Daffodils

Still trying to cast
off that leafy winter coat
Rain soaked and heavy

~dkm 219/365

Re: Rossetti's Winter

Midwinter beauty
I know why she called it bleak
But the shapes, the art

~dkm 218/365

Answer to Yesterday's Puzzle

Smooth bark of tree trunk
Magnificent magnolia
Magnified by phone

~dkm 217/365

Close-up Puzzle

What is it? Just one
hint: a higher viewpoint than
I normally get.

~dkm 216/365

Will post answer tomorrow

Four Legs Per

Dismissing its head
I count seventeen segments
Sixtyeightipede

~dkm 215/365

Rainy day in The Wayback

Sporophytes

Fragile stems of moss
Quietly reproducing
Under the arbor

~dkm 214/365

Aggressive Whinny

Of robin chasing
card'nal into bush and out
Clearly not lovesong

~dkm 213/365

Spring-loaded Lovesong

Meow of goldfinch
Reminder of towhee
Mimic of mockingbird
Pleasing

Caw of jay
Rasp of crow
Whinny of robin
Alarming

Trill of warbler
Twitter of wren
Chortle of bluebird
Endearing

Shriek of hawk
Hoot of owl
Rattle of woodpecker
Haunting

Repetition of titmouse
Feeble of phoebe
Demanding, enriching
And thrilling

~dkm 212/365

Cat vs Mockingbird?

Something happened here
Brutality of nature
Rain-soaked gray feathers
~dkm 211/365

Winter Light

The first day of sun
After many days of rain.
Cherry tree shadows
~dkm 210/365

Cedar Waxwing Time

Bare pear treetop full
of mask-faced whistlers on the
move across Kansas
 ~dkm  209/365

Photo credit: Barb Koontz
in Newton, Kansas

Yesterday's Grand Rain

Six inch layer of
leaf mulch pushed by rivulet
How a canyon starts
~dkm 208/365

The Wayback after heavy rain

Make Way for Daffodills

Heavy clumps of brown
leaves pushed up by jonquil shoots
in search of sunlight
~dkm 207/365

Otherworldly

Blackbird hovering
Ominous flutter reveals
shocking red secret

~dkm 206/365

Winter Prowess

Professor Pronghorn
Profile in bare cherry tree
Protecting the yard

~dkm 205/365

Spivey Hall Concert

Campus winterers
Caring nothing of music
Canada goose pair

~dkm 204/365

Migration Stop-Off

Ten blackbirds waiting
in cherry tree for their turn
at feeding station

~dkm 203/365

Too skittish for close-up photo
Sometimes a dozen or more on feeders

Churtle-urrr-Churr-Churr

Soothing tones and smooth
Love song of a gentleman
Murmur of bluebird

With one song he woos
his mate, protects their nest,
hums a lullaby

Even coaxes their
young, when time comes, to fly the
proverbial coop

And once they've all fledged
He goes silent for winter
Till spring warmth's return

~dkm 202/365

Chipmunk Interrupted

Low zoom through the yard
Kerfuffle in the ivy
Red-tailed hawk breakfast

~dkm 201/365

Usher of Nests

After slow decline
We've expected the Fall of
the House of Bluebird

~dkm 200/365

Grand Arc Aria

Sang a purple sky
Good morning, walkers!  May this
day bring you music

~dkm 199/365

Photo credit: Peggy Spencer

Reward For Searching Soundward

Came a haunting call
Pileated woodpecker
Feeding on dead limb

~dkm 198/365

Her Own Brand of Joie de Vivre

Icelandic sample
Just five months before her death
Puffin on her head

~dkm 197/365

Photo credit: Bryan Payne

Soloist and Choristers

Murmur of bluebird
Chatter of black. Seems too
early, this spring song.

~dkm 196/365