Still, icy air.
Grey clouds, brushed pink.
Soft footfalls on gravel path.
Silence swallowing magpie carols.

Wagtail scratching in damp earth
beneath the dew-washed canna.
Duck, swamphen, lapwing pecking in the grass,
backs to the polished surface of the lake.

Stillness cracks
with the chattering flight of lorikeets,
the ragged breath of the early runner thudding past,
the distant hiss of tyres on asphalt.

Sun rises in the blue washed sky,
golden shafts breaking through the trees.
Long morning shadows shrink.
The day begins.
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A list of the birds that visit Coburg Lake Reserve (Victoria, Australia) can be found here. Most are also listed at Birds in Backyards where there are examples of some of their calls.
Magpie Wagtail
Duck Swamphen
Lapwing Magpie lark

Photograph of Coburg Lake inexpertly taken by the author.
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©Catherine Meyrick.
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