On Hearing A Whipbird

In this here wood where gum trees stand so tall And peace and silence do reign overall A silence broke by intermittent wild bird call Like sound of whip that's cracked against a wall It is male eastern whipbird that I hear He sounds quite near though him I cannot see Perhaps ten yards from where I'm standing here In tangled undergrowth by pale barked tree. Here in gum wood a stone throw from the town They live their life these birds of mankind shy With only one small claim to bird renown Their whip like call distinct from all bird cry. I saw whipbird for first time yesterday I saw him first before he spotted me And on seeing me he immediately flew away To hide himself in leaves of tree fern tree. Of whipbird colours I took mental note With wings and tail a darker shade of green With dark blue crest and breast, white patch on throat A bird you will remember from once seen. Here in gum wood in summer mid day sun Where bullants crawl across the sun baked ground All wood birds silent except for the one The whipbird's call the only living sound.