Our Gouldian Finches (video)

The Shirlmeister’s Gouldian finches are breeding up a storm – well over 50 at the moment.

I took this video yesterday (permission was granted to enter the aviary 😉 ).

They make such a sweet sound (turn up the volume).

We are hoping to move to acreage at the end of the year (so long sea change and hello tree change) and are planning to create some aviary heaven for our Gouldians. Something along the lines of a free flight aviary.

Did you know there are only about 2,500 Gouldian finches left in Australia (they are not found naturally in any other part of the world). They used to be found in Queensland but those days are gone! If they disappear from the wild completely a part of my heart will disappear along with them.

Such a glorious bird – they make my heart flutter every time I see them.

Skin Deep

God took a prized jewel
the precious gouldian finch
polishing the paint
off
a sparrow was left
the crowd
disappeared

____________________________________________________________

ABC Radio National audio of ‘Skin Deep’

 

The Gouldian Finch

Here is the audio of my poem ‘Skin Deep’ which was recorded for the ABC Radio National ‘Birdlands’ project.

Producer Gretchen Miller said

Skin Deep by Gabrielle Bryden is short, sharp and just a little bit  funny.  I liked the disappearing crowd… Reading by Drayton Morley,  sound engineer Russell Stapleton.

Click on this link to hear the audio. Make sure you listen to the end – when the door closes – haha.

SKIN DEEP Gabrielle Brydenmp3

Here is the text of the poem.

Skin Deep

God took a prized jewel
the precious gouldian finch
polishing the paint
off
a sparrow was left
the crowd
disappeared

 

I would like to thank Gretchen and everyone else involved in the recording. I so love having all the sound effects and using the voices of actors.

ps. They recorded my poem ‘Why do we hate the crow’ as well, and I will post that soon.

On the radio this Saturday (Birdland)

This Saturday, 19th March 2011, at 2pm on ABC Radio National (360 documentaries) the Birdland project, directed by Gretchen Miller, will be broadcast.

Two of my poems Skin Deep and Why do we hate the crow? have been recorded as part of this fantastic, collaborative project (using the voices of actors and musical accompaniment).

The project began on the ABC POOL website and the callout was for ‘celebratory, thoughtful, descriptive, creative works that celebrate the human/avian relationship.’ As my regular readers would know, I love birds and just had to toss my hat in the ring. The list of finalists can be found here.

You can read more about this project on the POOL website or you can download the broadcast from the 360 documentaries website, from the 19th March 2011.

I can’t wait to listen to the broadcast (I think my poems sound much better when someone else is reading them out – haha).

Ps. I found out the birdlands project is broken up into separate components, and my two poems will be in a later broadcast – I will advise of new dates when they find out (sorry about that dudes 🙂 )