On Hearing A Grey Shrike Thrush At Twilight Poem by Francis Duggan

In the gloam of the evening as darkness cloaks the sky
I hear him softly whistling on a gum tree nearby
He is the famed grey shrike thrush he has a lovely song
Once heard you cannot mistake him you can never get him wrong
They are such marvellous songsters amongst Australia's best
On ground or stump or low bush they build a cup shaped nest
Of rootlets, leaves and fibres three to four white brown spotted eggs they lay
Grey birds i am familiar with though i don't see them every day
Their latin name Colluricincla Harmonica for them seems an apt name
As songsters of the highest order they do deserve their fame
Their song is unmistakeable melodious and clear
The song of the grey shrike thrush is always a joy to hear
In the twilight of the evening on low branch of gray gum tree
The one known as the grey shrike thrush pipes his sweet melody.