Autumn Rhyme

Jaegers are impressive, Parasitic or otherwise,

But you know I’m enamored with anything that flies.

My ride started out with Mourning Dove and Starling,

And the Goldfinch and Nuthatch were really quite darling.

Then came a Junco, first of the season,

And the song of the Kinglet was definitely pleasing.

Then Cormorants and Gulls and a Grebe of the West

But the stunning Bald Eagle was truly the best.

With Robin, Downy and Sparrow of Song

Getting to thirty wouldn’t take long.

Especially with Wood Duck and Gadwall and Ruddy,

And the Hawk with Red Tail was surely my buddy.

By Remington Street, I had found thirty-six,

With Crows and Waxwings entering the mix.

Then came the Sparrow with his special White Crown,

Followed by Kestrel and Wigeon, and I was homeward bound.

But then I saw a Phoebe, he of Mister Say,

Which was upstaged quickly by a gorgeous Osprey.

At Veterans, a Merlin was superb as he sat,

But a Cooper’s in my yard topped even that.

The final tally was forty-five,

And take my word, that ain’t no jive.

Tom McCabe, Boise