The bird in the photo is the American Goldfinch, which is, by the way, the state bird in New Jersey where I live. I remember learning that fact in grade school. Years later, I saw a lot of these colorful birds at my dad’s bird feeders which he filled with nigel seed, a favorite with finches. Dad no longer keeps up with the bird feeding, but I still spotted a goldfinch this season in the shrubbery.
Just for fun, here is the soundtrack of a goldfinch’s song.
I had a struggle with my phone camera in the bright sunlight once more. The screen blacks out so much that I could barely see what I was framing at times or I would give it a little too much zoom and not know it until after I snapped the photo and viewed it inside. But a little persistence paid off.
I think this is almost a maroon, but it’s somewhere on the spectrum.
The challenge here was to write a haiku using synonyms of “high” and “refresh.”
Both irises really do have a curled up yellow neighbor which I would have photographed if he was not in such a state. Perhaps, I will have another photo opportunity.
Earlier, I wrote a tanka inspired by my irises. I wondered if that was too many poems on a single theme. Then again, Van Gogh painted irises at least four different times. Here is one of my favorites.
