On Hearing A White Backed Magpie Poem by Francis Duggan

In the twilight before darkness the sun has just gone down
The magpie he is singing in the parkland of the town
The white backed Australian magpie he has a flute like song
His voice is unmistakeable one cannot get him wrong
Australia's finest songster some have been known to say
One of the few species of birds who sing by night and day
And one of the very few birds who sing all through the year
His song it is so flute like melodious and clear
The magpie he is piping on a gum tree in the park
Often heard him sing before dawn breaks when the sky it is still dark
Even in Winter heard them sing in flocks whilst walking on the ground
To sing to them a spontaneous thing as if they are wired for sound
As darkness creeps above the parkland the white backed magpie sing
On a warm Summer evening a long way from the Spring.



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