Chough Drops In…
A flock of pipits fussed on and around headland bushes,
Or skittered about upon the cliff-top grass in nervous rushes;
A stonechat, silhouetted against the sun, perched alone
Upon a gorse but before I could capture its image, it had quickly flown…
Soon a piercing cry from above alerted me to a black, glossy bird,
Flying, its distinctive, harsh and shrill sound, easily heard;
The chough swooped down towards the headland’s hidden edge,
As I hurried to investigate, near the cliff’s grassy ledge…
Nothing there, I strolled on, then the corvid shrieked again
From below the ledge and popped up next to me, its strident refrain
Echoing, then it poked at the ground with its red downward curved beak
And hurriedly dropped out of sight in a curious game of hide and seek…
Pete Ray
8th October 2025…
Porthtowan, Cornwall, east cliff, 7th October, 2025…
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