First stanza of the next poem in the collection – Songs of Field and Garden. When the jewelled frosting first appeared, As autumn’s evenings fade to night, Through dark above the quiet calls were heard – and scarlet glimpsed in early morning flight. The illustration is a detail from the watercolour by Adele Croxall-Ellis which… Read more: Night Traveller

Green blades stand in serried ranks, Waiting for the sun, A million meals in this field alone – Yet bird and bee find none. One solitary flash of red, An accidental growth, One lonely flower not erased, Was there not room for both? Along the edge there’s only death, The margin lost for profit, No… Read more: The Lone Poppy

With practiced ease you scamper down, along, around or up indeed. A blue cloaked acrobat of trees, a master of the living bark. The Nuthatch is often first noticed because of its unique habit of climbing down the trunk of a tree. They will then notice its beautiful colouring, its blue grey back and its… Read more: The Upside Down Bird

When the blossom is misted with spring’s gentle rain,He announces his kingdom with lilting refrainTumbling prelude, vibrant finish,May we never let his song diminish. One of our most familiar and delightful garden birds. Can there be a garden which isn’t visited by these delightful heralds. They will commonly sit right at the top of the… Read more: The Orchard Herald

A lament on the decline of the Common Starling. The full poem will feature in the forthcoming book Songs of Field and Garden. The image is a detail from the full image by Adele Croxall-Ellis which will appear alongside the poem in the book. If Only We Had Listened (First and last verses) I heard… Read more: If Only We Had Listened