“Whitewater Rapids”

 “Whitewater Rapids” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Whitewater rapids

frothy torrents 

spawning salmon 

breeding red wings …

“Oh-h-h…!”

 “Oh-h-h…!”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

“Oh-h-h…!” On a streak? Maybe having had a change of mind/broadened slightly/simply by increasing bird watching desire/craving rare sightings/flinching away to hide/tantalizingly just out of reach/due to sweeping temperature swings…

“Even Across Species”

 “Even Across Species”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Even across species complexity variability 

Black-capped Chickadees:“feed me; danger; nest with me”/White-headed woodpeckers:“go away; this is mine; I’m hungry”/Great Thrushes“this area is mine; I’m hungry; this area is mine; oh no, a predator;“I’m tired”/Baltimore Orioles:“this is my spot; I’m hungry; intruder alert/Long-tailed manakins:“pick me; let’s gang up on that big bird; get away from my babies”

Avian mimicry:

“Going beyond just copying;  Such a project!” 

“Memories Measured”

 “Memories Measured”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

For my Aunt Blanche

Memories measured 

“Love is so short,

forgetting is so long”

like old-time messages

heard as song birds as we walk 

over our past romances

staged while grasses sway

across rain-drenched plains of champagne…

“ Rescuing “ by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“ Rescuing “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Rescuing imperiled turtles
having once survived
mass extinction as hawkbills
loggerheads and leatherbacks
being lethally harmed
by swallowing plastics
and injesting food packaging
injured in boating accidents
deprived of habitat
poached for their shells
getting trapped
in gill nets
nowhere left to nest
plastic remnants
resulting
in inevitable death
desperate to capture
our attention
acting as “canaries”
for our oceans’ health ...

“ Whether Above the Sidewalk or the Boardwalk by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Whether Above the Sidewalk or the Boardwalk”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Whether above the sidewalk or above the boardwalk
seen warbling gleaning hovering and foraging
for insects and for berries while drawing scant attention
to the silk and to the webbing of suspended nests
tame and solitary very faint and low nasal
yet deemed uncommonly stable during fall migration
experiencing widespread changes along vast breeding ranges
hearing upstaged phrases throughout each and everyday
“I’ll seize you and I’ll squeeze you and I’ll squeeze you ‘til you squirt”...

“ A Common Harbinger “ by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“ A Common Harbinger “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

A common harbinger
of Spring identified
by calling, “fee-be”
as the first bird banding
siting longevity and fidelity
including hardiness
avidly repeating,
“FEE-be FEE-be FEE-be”
many times per minute
2 broods per year
sometimes three
while tail pumping
deemed, “common
and increasing”
nests attached to beams
lined with grass and weeds
defending territories
rolling, “prrrrrrrrrreeet”
” wheep! wheep! “
in high canopies
and in crowns of trees
eating beetles
crickets and katydids
plus fruits and berries
incubating 4-8 eggs
for 13-15 days
elliptical elongated ovate
extensive breeding ranges
cavities lined with cellophane ...

“ Split “ by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“ Split “

by
Suzán
Jiván
Mom
&
Mom-
Mom
Suzán

Split
into
separate
species
being
easily
over-
looked
staying
hidden
occasionally
seen spotted
darting
heard singing
raspily,
“ fee-bee-o “
or
“way-bee-o”
breeding
males singing
repeatedly
having returned
in late Spring
gathering
small twigs
and bark strips
as well as rootlets
while sporting
smaller bills
plus less
distinct
eye rings
harsh burry
“ fitz-bews “
“ fitz-be-yous “
loud thick,
“ Whits! “
in dense
willow thickets
as neotropical
migrants
parasitize nests
exhibiting
weak fluttering
wings as seen
through teardropped
eye rings ...

“ Difficult to Distinguish “ by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“ Difficult to Distinguish “

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Difficult to distinguish visually
barely overlapping like differing
voices tending to look out onto thick
trees and dense shrubbery
sailing to feed singing, “ah-de-dee”
taking spiders ‘n’ bees fairly
common and widespread
yet possibly in decline
due to loss of wintering habitats
still sallying back and forth to catch
insects in midair nesting in grasses
saddled on horizontal branches
being built by females
laying wreathed eggs
sporting olive washes
on breasts and subsisting
on mountain ashe during spells
of inclement weather hawking insects
wings fluttering incessantly
strenuously jerking tails and heads
lording over insect realms
while softly calling, “peace”
or “peeet” mechanically uttering,
“ ti ti ti “ in between canopies
frantically beating wings
long streamers hanging beneath ...

“ Often Found “ by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“ Often Found “

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Often found
on the ground
yellow shafted
and red mustached
with white
rump patches
while eating ants
becoming noisy
and animated
driving
rivals away
nesting
on poles
posts
buildings
and banks
laying
3 - 12 eggs
tan faces
gray napes
pileated
courtship
displays
drumming
to attract
mates
roosting
before
eggs
are
layed
“Yucka
Yucka
Yucka”
changing
in
cadence
monogamous
incubation
adapting
to habitat
changes
olive sides
and flanks
eagerly
eating
honeybees
beetles
and cicadas
frequenting
mountain
lakes
factoring in
deforestation
laying
pinkish buff eggs
sporting
black feet and legs
within
overlapping ranges
showing
dark colorations
feasting
on flies and bees
moths and beetles
distinctly whistling,
“ pee-a-wee pee-a-wee
pee-a-wee pee-year pee-year” ...

“ Plunging Head First “ by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán...

“ Plunging Head First “

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Plunging head first from a perch
catching fishes sporting shaggy crests
and white spots in front of our eyes
with populations on the decline
vigorously drilling
while sounding like a chicken,
“ kerr-uck kerr-uck “ often hunting
living in snags or stumps white rumps
grayish faces reddish washes on bellies
and in between legs
conspicuously vocalizing
incubation 11-14 days
red crowns and napes
white primaries
voices quavering
during roller coaster flights
wings folded a great deal of the time
while sometimes using abandoned
nest holes for homes
low growling
nasal mewing
boring holes
in horizontal rows
going coast to coast
allowing closer
approaches
issuing
high-pitched
call notes ...

“ Often Referred To “ by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“ Often Referred To “

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Often referred to as, “A cigar with wings”
seen diligently building
nests in chimneys of concrete and brick
needing to feed their young
‘til they’re old enough
to fly out of the chimney on their own
as hundreds swirl at dusk
above man-made structures
chattering gregariously
performing extreme dihedral Vs
during courtship darting erratically
then soaring on thermal drafts
forming saucer halves
incubating stained white eggs
emerging hatchlings of sooty grays
twittering calling cascading
covering extensive ranges catching their prey
where bee balms come much much later
both wild and domesticated
displaying greenish sides and flanks
downsloping cone shapes
perching along fresh waterways
taking crustaceans digging burrows in banks
while luringly calling, “Jay! Jay!” ...

“Adult Birds” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán...

” Adult Birds “

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Adult birds
flutter
their gular pouches
in order
to cool down
females
are very similar
to males
yet they lack
white tailbands
as a species
knicknamed,
“ Bull Bats “
in The South
making raspy
nasal sounds
and feeding
all over
small towns
emitting
low croaks
and/or growls
tan feathers
on throats
and tails
wings rounded
cavernous mouthes
sporting 2-inch gaps
bristly enabling
the trapping of prey
in both pine-oaks
and live-oaks
as buoyant silent flyers
difficult to locate
and to identify
by sitting lengthwise
with large eyes
for sighting creatures
of the night
red eyes shining
while oozing
glue-like saliva ...