Presumed To Have Fledged, An Extreme Case Of Hatching Asynchrony In A Pair Of Tree Swallows - A Found Poem, Also A Murmuration Poem by Warren Falcon

[NOTE: This found poem derives from a scientific article found in The Migrant, a journal dedicated to the study of birds, all observations of and conclusions derived so far as birds go, being continually mysterious even though the understanding of flight and song is now clear, even so there is something about birds, and sparrows in particular, which evoke stunned mystery and silence until humans are moved to chirp and coo in soft wonder. Note too that thunder, similar though differently to birds, also evokes wonder and certain human sounds. Tis indeed a mystery. The account of these sparrow eggs is by David A. Aborn. You may read his account (reconfigured below with a few poetic changes) at academia. edu.]

for Elaine,
our many murmurations gazed on the way to Christmas Lourdes



Asynchrony - a synchrony = absence or lack of concurrence in time


[Tree Swallows

typically lay 5-6

eggs, with one laid

about every 24 hours.


Incubation

typically lasts

14 days

(range: 11-20 days) ,

after which time

the eggs all hatch

within a 24-72-hour

period.]



Herein is reported

a case of extreme

hatching asynchrony

by a pair of tree

Swallows:


One hundred and

twenty-five nest

boxes have been

placed around the

county in groups

ranging from 10

to 25 boxes.


The design and

dimensions of the

boxes follow those

of standard bluebird

boxes and are mounted

upon metal poles,

fences, or poles

of utility.


All boxes are within

certain reach of water,

and are in or adjacent

to open fields.


Most boxes are also in

close proximity to human

activity


(sidewalks, parking

lots, trails, etc.) .



On a certain May day,

a female laid the first egg

of her clutch, and the

6-egg clutch was

completed 5 days later.


12 days after the first

egg hatched. The nest

was checked every two

days, and no additional

eggs hatched until May's

end at which time was

observed a newly hatched

chick, plus 4 eggs unhatched.


During the next nest check

on second June, the newly

hatched chick was dead.

None of the other eggs

had hatched. The remaining

chick was present on all

subsequent checks until

8 days later when it was

no longer in the nest.


As there was no evidence

of predation, the chick is

presumed to have fledged.



In seven years of study of

this population, Sparrows,

just to be clear, this is the

most extreme case of hatching

asynchrony observed;


all other broods have

hatched within 48 hours.


END


2

murmur - (A) to make the sound 'mu mu' (old Greek)
or 'mumu', to murmur with closed lips, to mutter,
moan... (B) to drink with closed lips, to suck in...
-Liddell and Scott, Greek-Engish Lexicon,1897 ed.


'when the attentions change
...even the stones are split
are rive...' - Charles Olson, from The Kingfishers


So ensues the Murmuration moan,
wind mutter the winding matter bebothered
of Swallows
...



ASYNCHRONY OF SWALLOWS

which is,

a-synchrony, just to remind =

absence or lack of concurrence in time.

In other words, no rhyme scheme

or known reason though presumptions

occur in observation of patterns that

such are the habits of nature to assist

drawing conclusions which are surmises

but 'unhatched eggs' says alot conveys

wasted days in shells that bird-brooding

manages one out of a clutch to grow wings

enough to fly and make a case for

furtherance of air and lift while preferring

drift in currents timeless whirls until

hunger and such insist landings safely

to secure a night's sleep eyes always

open though dreaming what Swallows

may dream while clouds stars moon

reflect in mirror-eyes seeing within

in dreamtime or just dead sleep the

nothingness having fledged from its

nowhere to not here at all or at least

no animal awareness of existence at

all - random but for sonic association

random throw in the word 'atoll' with

its precision of isolate coagulate

dwelling surrounded by water which


we can extend as visual aid to

stand for the nothingness or at least

no awareness of thingness at atoll

in sleep which when not dreaming

assumes a kind of death which does

fledge much of all kinds in many ways

hatched or not, whereas hatched or

not dispatch reigns (rains being

another extension into image/ism)

though life while living pretends no

limit no reach range that cannot be

spanned nor spun and down to

Sorrow (to evoke 'Swallow') or Man

and (enough with evocation) all

other kinds beings species - the

rind of the earth is kingdom round

at least in each its eyes so far as

eyes do see while awake and also

while awake even moreso or differently

glanced in conscious dreams and


so fledging


dear ones


is the thing


concavity curves

in a dead hatchling's sparkless

eye reflecting dead eggs perfect

forms soft brooded upon as

one might brood with one in

hand pondering which is the

better off the flown lone one

or the ongoing knot which can

also denote an egg unhatched

or not or clotted everyly or other-

wise is all surmise who knows what


to do 'Anand'-as-Ground

(Anand is bliss in sanskrit)

Urground rumored to persist ether-


eally really somehow 'a thing'which

is always/already at hand a force or

ferocity demanding hatch and fledge

and flying as much of edges as one

can while drawing or trying conclusions

of flight even singing or saying such

to some (who?) others who (who? to

echo another bird hoo hoo hoo)) may

or may not remember that winged things

or fleshedness in their own each way

nest finally into mystery within which

futher Swallows fly portend extend


as or others may too they fledge to

flocks to awe dirt even Ground itself

and those comprising most or much

of suchness thusness twining in


massive murmurations


which are marvelous things to live

long enough to gawk at whopper

warper jaws agape maws suddenly

all'r many'r asthmatic wheezers

(ecstatically so) point-fingers

joy's malinger's all sudden as

does thunder announce a flashy

entrance as do Swallows too

flash as flash can and it Awe

may last along while if memory

serves one is glad one's self to

have hatched and fledged to see

what glory can be made and had

at edges (earth's clearly domed

the shape of eyes makes it so)

and one knows or someday will

in lighter or heavier bones scry

the effort was is made atoll


all a seeming to understand

but not us as ourselves as

adjusted to as determined

self portraits which may or

may not be the actual who

we perceive ourselves to be

we being adhered to dirt so

verily moulded by known an

unknown forces within which

we make or so we think choice

but nevermind but no let us

return to mumur to suck in

sounds through and behind

lips and be naturally moved

by such sights sounds above

but close so close they evoke

rumored evidenceof soul or

spirit until such moments


movements image


majestic above underscore that

more is available for wonder if

one waits or actively seeks time

out of mind or is it mind out of

time mind being awareness then

in presense of murmuration one

finds or is the 'more' that is revealed

in that turning wave black to gray

and back skying diving ebbing


waning

asynchrony



to what we know as solid matter

and what marvelous vapor is life

restive in thousand undulate

congregations so who needs a

falconer after all when chaos

of a Sunday evening seems to

know something so falls into

purple fields edged by sheer

snow peaks where sheep sure

feet know no fear of heights

and there do dung and play

fearless or at least pretending

not to fall in their waking dreams


all in all in the witnessing whence all

but we have fledged or flung hung out

over strungbut wily yet worried we

bother to somehow care which with

heart we indeed do. Care. And as

one elderly old bird once said to me

my being newly fledged and flung

me at her knobby wither-knees

admiring her mustache and tooth

told me to observe and note 1 or

3 do re mi's or more like the or to

better the feathered choirs) so try

at least to sing it, IT, anand anon

even if choking on what cannot

as yet be chewed swallowed our being

without craw or claw but IT anand

eventually had if not understdood in

words thoughts ideas - in other words

arrive land perch alight lift off a

life time of chew and choke then

with some digestive orientation

from and of such one can sing


coo ru ru ruoo caw scree even

gargle as do corvids just to

let you know all is sonicly aloud

allow with our without clouds

for hover or cover and so we

can try by murmurations marveled



to warble deep throated if possible

though definitely 'ossible' bone tones

some parsings or other some conjugant

choralling which may and might ascribe

flight night daylight the usual things so

granted for taken so often misspoken

or under sung, we being always flung yet


trying to cling to what cannot be

undone but is forever and always

clotted until we do indeed fly no

more in mind or breeches and so

inevitbly come to full glottal stop

fledged utterly

bow now stopped