Black Hills Audubon Society

Bee-eater’s Rush

In Lightning Ridge, in northern New South Wales,
where nature paints the scene in vivid hues,
and opals flash their reds and blacks and blues,
it seems when you compare it, all else pales...
for what can stand against that opal fire?
What landscape, set beside the Ridge’s fields
can hold the viewer’s eye? Such beauty wields
great power - living with it one could tire
of loveliness - and yet, each summer when
the rainbow birds return, their brilliant splash
of gold and blue and green will bring a flash
of joy to Jenny and hers sons again.

Why do the birds return? Because, perhaps,
it says "Bee-eater’s Rush" on mining maps!

by Judie Peet

Written for Jenny Molyneux and family, of the opal mining town of Lightning Ridge, who thought the Rainbow Bee-eaters so lovely and memorable, that they named an area of their mining lease for them. That name has now been formally accepted, and appears on maps of the area.

Judy Peet is a birder from Dubbo, central western New South Wales, Australia. A lifelong naturalist, Judy was converted to birding about 17 years ago by other bird fanatics. Until then she couldn't understand how any sane person would stand perfectly still for long periods of time, looking at a tiny bird, just to put a name to it! Since then she has worked in a few bird related projects aimed at raising public awareness about the serious decline of many of our best loved birds. Her work has involved travelling about and talking to farmers about ways to protect natural habitat on farmland for the benefit of both agriculture and wildlife. She also speaks regularly on radio about birds. Reading and writing poetry is another lifelong interest so it was inevitable that she would write bird poetry once she became involved in serious birdwatching.

Send your poetry to pelican@vei.net if you would like to publish on this page