sharing the grey woods
a poor photo of a ruffed grouse in one of the trees behind our house
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We share our grey woods with so many plants and animals. Sadly, our interactions do not always benefit the wild life.
The big panes of glass in our picture windows have brought disaster to so many birds. If the sun shines just right, the glass is like a mirror. When a bird sees the reflection of trees and sky, it must think it is flying deeper into the woods. I find keeping the window curtains closed removes the mirror illusion and prevents some collisions.
Sometimes, we will hear a thump and by the time we investigate, the bird will have recovered. Sometimes the bird is not so lucky.
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Heartbeat
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alive in morning birdsong thud thud thudding in my ears
slow as a pulse then faster final beats too quick to count
a spruce grouse in the thicket on a mound of leaves
drumming for a mate
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all day
I thought of him
and smiled
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buried in evening birdsong a thud on the window
the partridge sighing in the grass
tail narrowed feathers ruffled at his neck oddly bent
fingers on his throat
faint flutter
blood from his beak
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I smoothed him into a mound of dead leaves
inspected the window
a feather stuck to the glass
moved as though nostrils drew faint breath
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nothing broken
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
nichepoetryandprose 
Great picture. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a grouse out in nature.
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Rebecca
November 14, 2014 at 2:32 pm
Hi. We hear them all the time, but they are hard to see. The photo is blown up and is quite grainy. Jane
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jane tims
November 14, 2014 at 9:43 pm
The ruffled grouse is beautiful. So is your poem. It always saddens me when a bird hits one of our big windows and is injured or killed.
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Robin
November 14, 2014 at 10:45 am
Hi. Out at our camp, we hung bamboo curtains on the outside of the windows to minimize the accidents. Not so practical at our home. Jane
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jane tims
November 14, 2014 at 9:42 pm