Like many others in the UK and America we have been snowbound today. Those of you who have read my postings before will know that I enjoy the poetry of Edward Thomas. I found myself reading his very poignant poem entitled Snow about the 'sighing child' and her avian perceptions (I say 'her' for the child may have been Myfanwy Thomas). It made me wonder what kind of bird the child had in mind, especially since in my poetry anthology, The British Museum: Birds (ed. Mavis Pilbeam) the poem faces an egret on a Japanese silk scroll by Oda Kaisen. If you know the poem, I wonder what kind of white bird flutters through your thoughts.The two bird photographs above were taken at the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust at Penclacwydd just before the snow came. I love the sculptural way in which the Bewick swans entwine their necks around one another. The swans are named after the naturalist and engraver, Thomas Bewick. You can visit his fascinating birth place, Cherryburn, in Northumbria.
