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Where Are The Skydancers?

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I set off on a ramble through the Forest of Bowland

binoculars at the ready, a bird book to hand.

I hope to see some species that don't breed in the lowlands,

hen harriers and short eared owls, quartering the land.  

My list has pipits, crows and jackdaws,

grouse in surplus but no raptors.

I tick off golden plover, curlew and wheatear

but where are the skydancers? 

THEY'RE NOT HERE!

 

They ought to be in residence - this habitat would suit them.

They have no natural predators, there's pipits they could hunt

and surely it's illegal for anyone to shoot them

so why this glaring absence? What broom is there so brunt

it sweeps a native species from the hills?

I think they must be roosting, sitting still,

so I scan along the ridgelines but none of them appear.

Where are the skydancers?

THEY'RE NOT HERE!

 

No they're not here, where you ought to expect them.

They're not here and no one can say why.

I come upon a keeper who tells me he respects them 

he's eager to protect them and decries

those criminals that hound them from the moors.

He swears to strict compliance with the laws

but a shifty look suggests he's insincere.

Where are the skydancers?

THEY'RE NOT HERE!

 

England ought to have two hundred nests this time of year

but every time they try to breed, they seem to disappear.

Do the sheep attack them? Are they eaten by the deer?

Or is somebody shooting them?   To me the answer's clear

'cause where are the skydancers?

THEY'RE NOT HERE!

 

I'm lost in melancholy as I hike down from the ridge

thinking I'm the only one that cares,

but then I spot a gathering on the green at Dunsop Bridge

with protest placards flapping in the air,

murmurating angry birders,

trumpeting the wildlife murders.

Let's screech about the scandal till there's cause to raise a cheer.

Where are the skydancers?

THEY'RE NOT HERE!

Where are the skydancers?

THEY'RE NOT HERE!

 

birdshen harrierbirdwatchinggame keepergrouse

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Comments

<Deleted User> (13762)

Wed 9th Aug 2017 15:30

Absolutely brilliant Tim. Well done you - and the audience too for joining in.

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Tim Ellis

Wed 9th Aug 2017 08:46

Thanks Cynthia.
The Hen Harrier protest went well on Sunday and I think about 200 people turned up. There's a video if me reading the poem here https://youtu.be/H5ebk63qoqo

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Tue 8th Aug 2017 19:10

Strong and effective. Well said.

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Tim Ellis

Sun 6th Aug 2017 08:03

Thanks Colin. I'm leaving for Lancashire in a few minutes, looks like it's going to be a bit wet.
I haven't been to Blacktoft for many years John, though I keep meaning to. It was where I had my first decent view of a Hen Harrier when I started birdwatching in earnest about 30 years ago. I was watching this lovely male patrolling above the reeds when a barn owl flew up out of the reed bed. I had both birds in my view for a few seconds. An unforgettable moment!

<Deleted User> (13762)

Sat 5th Aug 2017 19:30

Well I feel spoilt this week Tim. First Jonathan's excellent poem about curlews and now your equally excellent hen harriers. There are many bird species in the UK whose numbers have declined dramatically over the past decades but the plight of the persecuted hen harrier is perhaps one of the saddest.

I hope your audience tomorrow joins you in a rousing chorus of THEY'RE NOT HERE! Maybe a little practice run before you start would get them in the mood. Well done for writing this and for standing up for our beleaguered wildlife. Hope the performance goes well.

All the best,
Colin

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John Coopey

Sat 5th Aug 2017 18:46

I used to see them at Blacktoft Sands at roosting time. I haven't been for yonks so I don't know if they're still there. Spots of Marsh Harriers quite commonplace.

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Tim Ellis

Sat 5th Aug 2017 10:53

I'll be performing this tomorrow at a Hen Harrier Day event in Lancashire. Hopefully the crowd will pick up on the idea that they're supposed to shout THEY'RE NOT HERE! back at me. Come along if you're in that part of the world. http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2017/04/08/hen-harrier-day-dunsop-bridge-in-the-heart-of-the-forest-of-bowland-sunday-6th-august/
There's other events around the country too.
http://henharrierday.org/2017-events.html

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